


Where there's Superpowers, There's Super Villains Making Pills

by littlebigtec12



Series: Where there's heros [1]
Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Electricity, F/F, Human squip, I have other chapters written up, I'm so sorry, I've been writing this for a while and my friends say its great, M/M, Misgendering, Oh, Other, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, This is also confusing, Trans Jeremy Heere, Trans Male Character, Transphobia, gonna update it one chapter at a time, honestly this is probably gonna suck, i think, now time to hear from some strangers, yay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-22
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-05 09:23:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 14
Words: 34,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12791568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlebigtec12/pseuds/littlebigtec12
Summary: Welcome to the world, where you're either born with a super power or not. Most likely you're born with it. In this world, however, your powers develop as your body develops. But that's only part of the story. This story is about Jeremy Heere, a teen who has the powers of electricity/technology on his side. Then Sebastian Quill enters the picture, ruining everything for everybody and a plan to rule the world.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The title is a working one, so might change it if I find a better name. Also this chapter and I believe chapter 2 have first person, don't get used to it. I started writing this a while ago and when I did I wanted it first person. Now I'm on chapter 7 and I can say there's no more first person, so I just got lazy to change it when I did. Characters might seem ooc since this is my first time writing something for bmc. enjoy and sorry for this train wreak.

Ever thought you’d be in a world of Superheros? Yea, me neither. Everyone has powers, well not everyone. My friends and I have powers though, and it's pretty cool. Jenna can hear and read your mind, so I can never think of anything dirty around her. We all have powers, but my mind seems. Dark. Chloe can shapeshift, Brook can levitate and use her mind to move things. What’s that word? Telekinesis? Yeah, that word. Jake can turn invisible, and Rich can manipulate fire, using it to his will. Christine can change her voice and, unlike Jenna, she can manipulate people to her will. She never uses that power, only for emergencies.

Then there’s Michael Mell, my best friend. My favorite person in the whole world. The person who’s been by my side forever. I’m glad he’s in my life. He has super strength and speed.

And there’s me, Jeremy Heere. I can manipulate technology, which is pretty cool in a way. I can shock people and kill the lights when needed. It’s great, I guess. 

Welcome to the world of Supers, where almost everyone and their mother has a power, an ability. Some use these powers for good, but most. Most use it for evil. 

Evil was something you never wanted to tangle with, powers or not. Some people did it because their parents are evil, others because they have a terrible past. There’s also the part where they’re assholes. You walk into my school, you can probably tell who’s gonna turn evil or not, and who already is evil. Some people are hard to tell, but you study them anyway for a chance they might show their true colors. Supers are called Supers because they have powers, not because they’re evil or not. There are the Non-Supers as well, and they usually turn into people who aid the Superheros and gave tips and such. Great people, such saints. 

Not everyone is perfect in this world, however. We make mistakes, and there’s been times when me and the gang failed. We… Hated that feeling. I hated that feeling. I got technology, I can hack and open things in the blink of an eye. My powers make me something that robots should fear, so maybe that’s a plus? No robot apocalypse on my watch. 

“Jeremy.” I hear my father say, turning my head to look at him. “I’m ordering a pizza, just letting you know.”

“Thanks dad.” I said, and turn my head away. He walks out of my room, closing the door behind him. My dad doesn’t have powers, he’s a Non-Super. My mom was the one with powers, and she had more than one. That makes me wonder if I’m gonna end up developing more than just taking over technology, and what could my next power be? If I get one, I hope it’s cool. 

 

Rich walked down the street, holding a bag of junk food. He was heading over to Jake’s house, ready for a movie night with his boyfriend. He smiles as he walks, thinking about what movies they’re gonna watch. He walking through town, since he had to buy the junk food. As he was walking, he notices a kid his age walking toward him. He tilts his head, but ignores the other teen since they’re probably going to the store or something. As the teen passes, Rich can’t even see his face. What the hell? 

“Stop.” The teen said, and Rich stops in his tracks. He stares forward, the other teen looks at him. The teen has a black mask on, making it way too difficult to see his face.

“What’s your name?”

“Richard Goranthki.” Rich tells him, still staring forward. 

“Well, hello Rich. Do you have a little superhero group?” The villain said.

“No, I am who doeth that anymore?” Rich said. 

“Stop it with the lisp, it’s annoying. You pathetic little boy.” The teen says, and Rich clenches his fists. “Don’t try fighting me, you’ll be in the hospital within 5 minutes.”

“Thtop it…” Rich said, and his hand was getting hot. The teen turned, looking out toward the street.

“Enjoy your night Richard.” The teen said, and walked away. Rich watches him, then glances at his wrist. His hand. It was a light orange, meaning he was almost flamed. He breathes in deeply, breathing out. He takes these deep breaths until his hand is normal. He continues walking, thinking about the encounter. He could’ve fought that guy and put him in the hospital. 

“Could I?” Rich thinks out loud, sighing. Hopefully the rest of this night is gonna be smooth.

 

“Sebastian Quill, welcome home.” A nearby computer says as a teen walks into his apartment. He closes the door as he takes off his black mask. Removing the mask reveals his face, and from a glance, he looks like a younger version of Keanu Reeves, but he does have differences. He has slight stubble on his chin and he has short, curly black hair. He has an overcoat on, but he takes it off, tossing it on his couch. 

This is Sebastian Quill, who is currently working on a system that will be able to allow him to take control of every super in the world. First, he has to make sure it works. This young man is a Super, and is currently hiding his abilities. So far, one he uses almost everyday is mind manipulation. He prefers working with technology, which he can also manipulate, and because of that, he sits in front of his computer staring at it. He stares at the login screen, then laughs darkly. He stands up, walking across his living room. It’s dark, since it’s late and he doesn’t bother turning on the lights. 

“Computer, put down Richard Goranski down on the list of Supers I have.”

“As you wish.”

Sebastian looks out the window, running a hand through his hair. He watches the cars passing by, thinking about what Rich said. He had a group. They don’t have a name, which means he can’t look them up. He’s gonna need to find Rich again, find out about the rest of his friends. Rich has a temper, that’s a weakness to think about. And his fist was turning red, fire manipulation. 

“Not surprising.” He thinks out loud, tapping his foot. “I can use that to my advantage, people with tempers let it get to their heads. Mistake to have that weakness.” He walks over to his computer and logs in quickly, opening a tab. He types in Rich’s name, hoping something will come up. He finds nothing, sighing. He see’s the tab for an article from a school, and he thinks about it. He clicks it and opens an article about a basketball team, the captain in the middle of the picture of his team. It’s mostly about the captain, and Sebastian reads it out of boredom. 

He scrolls down, finding the captain had a good record. The guy was pretty tall, probably taller than Sebastian. He scrolls down more, and stops. Right there, the captain stood next to a couple friends. Other players. Sebastian notices students in the stands. Must’ve been during the pep rally last year, since the school year just started. Sebastian studies a certain student, wearing his school colors and up in the air. Richard Goranski. He even had the same jersey as the captain. 23. Jacob Dillinger. Sebastian saves the article, then looks at the name of the school. Middle Borough High School. Sebastian was 18 years old, dropping out of High School during his junior year because it was stupid. With or without a degree, he knows how far he can get. He’s got a program on the verge of working, and soon everyone will fear him and be under his control. He’ll rule the world. Ok well, at least run the Supers or something, he hasn’t thought too far ahead, since he first has to finish his little computer program.

“Guess I’m going back to school, and who knows. Maybe they made the classes more challenging.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian goes to school and we get a flashback

I walk into school, walking past the other students like a ghost, not noticeable. I walk to my locker, opening the lock. I look around as I grab my books, tapping my foot. Once I have my books, I head to my class with my head down. I run into someone, stumbling backwards and dropping my books. I rubbed my head, saying “Sorry!” 

I slowly got up, trying to pick up my books quickly. The boy I ran into was helping me, and I glanced at him. He was. Wow. He was handsome and looked like Keanu Reeves. Huh. We stand and stare at each other, and I feel like puking. 

“You ok?” The teen asked and I nodded.

“You just look like Keanu Reeves.” I said, pointing to his hair. “And y-y-your hair is c-cool.”

“Thanks.” The boy said in a cool tone. Can cool be a tone? God I hope. “Hey, can you help me find my classes?” 

It took me a moment to process, then I nodded. 

“Sure! U-uh what class do you have?” I ask and he hands me his schedule. I read through it, and point down the hall. “It’s the last door to the right.”

“Thanks.” He starts walking and pauses, turning around to look at me one more time. “I’m Sebastian, Sebastian Quill. I’m a senior. Are you a senior too?”

“Nope, I’m a junior.” I tell him, then hold out my hand. “I’m J-Jeremy Heere, and uh, maybe we c-c-can be friends?” 

“Sure, looks like we both need them anyway.” The boy said, smirking. “So what’s your power?”

“What?”

“Your superpower? Last I checked, only about 10% of the human race had no powers, while the other 90% had powers, so are you in the 90% or the 10%?” 

“I can m-manipulate technology, it helps me a lot when I want to g-g-get into things, and I can hack too. Not a superpower, but it is pretty c-c-cool.” I tell him, hearing the bell ring. It’s the first bell, which means I have 5 minutes to get to class. “I should go, maybe I can learn y-your power later?”

“Sure, see you later Jeremy.” 

“See ya later, Sebastian.” And I walk away, pulling on my backpack. I smile as I walk into class, sitting in the back. Next to me, is Michael Mell. He’s playing on his gameboy, tongue sticking out. I smile at him.

“Hey, what’re y-you playing?” I ask my best friend, and he closes his gameboy, slightly cursing. 

“I was playing Legend of Zelda, and you know that takes a lot of time.” Michael said, turning his head to look at me. He smiles, god that smile is so gorgeous. “So why’re you here later than usual?”

“What do you mean, I’m here on time.” I tell him and he shakes his head. 

“You’re always here before me, even on days I do pick you up.” Michael said. “You ok? Do I have to kick someone’s ass?”

“No, I-I mean I’m fine. But we have a new s-student.” I tell him, rubbing my knuckles together. “He’s as tall as Jake, but h-he’s a Senior.”

“A Senior? How do you know a Senior?” Michael asks, smirking. “Date his girlfriend?”

“No way, he’s a n-new stu-student for one. And for two, he needed di-directions to his class, s-so I helped h-him.”

“What a nice dude, you I mean. I know nothing about the other guy to compliment on.” Michael said, and I shove him playfully. We adjust ourselves to pay attention, but really, we weren’t. I couldn’t shake the new guy out of my head because deep down, something seemed off. 

 

Sebastian sat at the back of his class, bored with everything being told. Villains shouldn’t be stuck in class, they should be in their one room apartment, thinking up a way to use Richard and Jeremy. Sebastian takes out his phone, hiding it out of sight, and looks up Jeremy Heere. He spells the last name wrong, missing an ‘e’, but comes up with another school article. Just like Jake, Jeremy was in a few articles, but he was in the play’s and musicals in the school. He’s a theater kid, who woulda thought?

When the bell rings, Sebastian walks out of class quietly. He walks through the halls towards his next class, staring at the article about Jeremy. He scrolls down to see a cast photo of the play from last year. Rich was in it. As he sat down in his next class, Sebastian took out a black notebook, opening it to an open page. He writes down all the names of the people in the photo, staring at Rich and Jeremy. 

“One can manipulate fire, and the other technology. Perfect.” He whispers to himself. He turns to the next page and divides the paper by a line he draws, labeling one side ‘Jeremy’ and the other side ‘Richard’. He puts down their powers, their grade, and that they know the same people. Possible friends? Yes, absolutely. Sebastian thinks about the pills he’s creating, and thinks about what they could do for these kids. These children. He looks around the room, a small smile on his face. People are gonna be impressed when his pills give everyone powers they wanted, and help them out in the real world. This is something big, very big. And they’re gonna be his guinea pigs. Richard and Jeremy. Jeremy should be easy, desperate to make a friend. How adorable. 

And Richard. He’s insecure about himself, just like Jeremy. They both have obvious weaknesses. He wrote that down. He looks around his class, which is an art class. People are separating to go do their own thing, and he sat there alone. He hums a bit, continuing on with his chart about the two boys when someone walked up and sat in front of him. 

“You’re the new guy.” The boy said, his glasses glimmering from the lights in the room. Sebastian stares at him, holding his notebook close. “Don’t worry, I’m just chilling here so you ain’t alone.”

“You don’t have to do that, I’m fine being by myself.” Sebastian said, reaching into his backpack to take out his sketchbook. He opens to a fresh page, closing his notebook. He’ll continue it later. He starts sketching a design for the bot that’s gonna be in his pill, possibly confusing the other boy who was watching. 

“I’m Michael.” The boy said. “My buddy Jeremy told me about you.” 

“Oh yeah? What did he say? Good things, I hope.” Sebastian says. 

“Just that you’re new, but he didn’t say you were odd.” Michael says, and Sebastian chuckles. 

“Really? You’re a loser.” Sebastian says, closing his sketchbook. Michael stares at him.

“I may be a loser, but you don’t gotta be rude about it.” Michael says. “You gonna be rude to Jeremy too?”

“Why? Are you jealous that I can get the dashing boy but you can’t.” That last sentence came out more as a statement than a question. Michael looked stunned. 

“I don’t like Jeremy, l-like that.” Michael states, leaning forward. “Besides it my business.” 

“Tell me if you like Jeremy, and tell me a thing about him.” Sebastian says, his eyes glowing a light blue. Michael sits straighter, staring into Sebastian's eyes. 

“I love him, have since 7th grade. A thing about him is that his mom left two years ago and he’s still not over it.” Michael said in a puppet like manner. Sebastian smirks, leaning closer to Michael.

“Tell me about his mom.” Sebastian says, and Michael stares at him more before shaking his head. Michael holds his head, taking a deep breath as he gained control. Sebastian was stunned, sitting back.

“Mind manipulation is something that needs to be blocked at times, you just happened to catch me off guard.” Michael said, eyes closed. 

“Very, you’re gay.” Sebastian says.

“Everyone knows that, I’m the only open gay guy on this campus.” Michael says, pulling his hoodie up and opening his eyes. He looks nervous, why?

Michael looks down at his sketchbook, which Sebastian didn’t even notice he had. He watches the slightly smaller boy draw, then goes back to his own drawing. The bot looks like Keanu Reeves, which makes Sebastian grind his teeth a bit. He hates knowing he looks like the man, but now he has to make his bot like him. The Matrix was a great movie, hell, all of the movies were great. Keanu Reeves was one hell of an actor, that’s for sure. 

“Is that Keanu Reeves?” Michael asks, pulling his hoodie down. 

“Maybe, what’s it to you?”

“Don’t be so rude.” 

“You’re being rude.”

Michael pauses before staying silent, then looks back at his drawing. It’s Jeremy’s face when he gave him his present for his birthday.

 

_ “Jeremy, happy birthday!” Michael yelled as he walked over, and Jeremy blushed at the yelling. “You know, you look handsome.”  _

_ “Aww, don’t gotta be so nice Michael.” Jeremy says, playing with his tie. Michael smiled and held out a present.  _

_ “Heere is my gift. I know you aren’t supposed to get them til after the ceremony, but I thought my buddy should wear something great for his bar mitzvah” Jeremy and Michael both laughed at the pun as Jeremy took his gift and sat down. He opens it quickly, laughing and smiling as he holds it up. It’s a pac-man tie, and under it was a galaxy binder. Jeremy felt like crying, both were things he wanted since he came out, and Michael went out of his way to get them. _

_ “Michael, you’re my favorite person in the world.” Jeremy said, tears rolling down his face slowly. “But you’re the worst for making me cry over a binder and tie.” _

_ Both laughed, and Michael grabs the tie from Jeremy, and has his friend stand as he switches the plain blue tie with the pac-man one. Once he finishes, they both stand there silently. Jeremy wipes away his tears, looking up at Michael.  _

_ “You’re handsome Jeremy, and that ain’t me being nice. It’s me telling the truth. And truth is, you’re the most handsomest boy in the world.” Michael wished he said. Michael should’ve said that. Instead, he says. _

_ “Don’t leave them waiting.” Michael said, smiling. Jeremy nods, smiling as he walks out. MIchael sits down in the chair Jeremy was using and takes a deep breath, taking off his glasses to wipe away the tears that he had. He stares at the door, whispering to himself. _

_ “I love you Jeremy, I just gotta say it to your face.” Michael says, standing up and looking into the mirror by the door. His face is a bit red from the tears, but fine either way. He nods to himself before exiting the room. _

 

“I gave him a pac man tie.” Michael says, chuckling. Sebastian studies Michael, confused. “Jeremy, for his 13th birthday, got a pac-man tie from yours truly.”

“That’s nerdy.” Sebastian said, shifting his gaze back to his drawing. “And I care why?”

“Because it’s a fun fact, he’s a nerd.” Michael said, smiling. “Well, everyone can see that just by looking at him.”

“Sounds like you’re a nerd too.” Sebastian says, coloring in his bot.

“Shut up, I'm not.” Michael states, going back to his sketch of his best friend. 

“Why don’t you ask him out?” Sebastian asks, not looking up from his drawing.

“Because I don’t want to ruin a friendship of 12 years, and because I don’t want to ruin what we have now.” Michael said, and Sebastian looks up at him. Sebastian thinks about saying something, but just stays silent. 

Michael’s weakness is Jeremy Heere.

 

School flies by, and once school is over, that means all the clubs and sports teams are staying after and working on their things. Over in Drama club, we have Christine Canigula, most popular theater kid in the school of Middle Borough. Then we have Jeremy Heere, the kid who is an up-and-coming actor, who has a lot of potential but is too nervous to live up to it. But we aren’t gonna focus on those two. We’re gonna focus on a couple other Supers, who are currently in the gym where basketball is being held.

“Tho, I wath thinking of movie night tonight, you in?” Rich asks Jake, who was spinning a ball on his finger, like every basketball player can do. At least, Rich thinks that. 

“Sure, as long as we watch nothing but Disney movies.” Jake says, smiling at the smaller of the two. Rich smiles wide, bouncing off the bleachers. He was on the last step, so he was fine.

“Heck yeah! That’th the betht idea!” He yells, causing some of the other players to stare. “You get thnacks thith time.”

“Alright, be by my place at 8?” Jake asks, dribbling the ball now.

“Thounds good.” Rich said, sitting down on the lowest seat on the bleachers. Jake chuckles as he runs off to his team, which were huddling in the middle of the court. Rich stayed where he was for a bit, watching as his boyfriend stood in the middle of the court with his jersey on, and how his arms were toned, and…

Wow, that’s pretty gay Rich. 

“Are you sitting alone?” A tall teen asked, standing in front of Rich. Rich looks up and nods, picking up his bag as he stood.

“Yeah, I wath. I’m gonna leave now if you want that thpot.” Rich said, smiling as he strapped his backpack on his back. He turns to walk away when the other teen grabs his wrist tightly.

“Hey, you’re Rich, right? Rich Goranski?” The teen asks, his face in a serious expression.

“Yeah, why?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to help me with a project, it’s an important one and it would be great if I had someone to help me.” The teen said, smirking. Rich didn’t like this, he felt sick.

“No thankth, I’m gonna go now.” Rich pulled his arm, but the teen pulls back, pulling Rich close. 

“You are gonna help me on the project.” The teen said, eyes glowing a light blue. Rich nods slowly, already under Sebastian’s spell. “You are gonna be at my apartment tomorrow, and if you don’t show up, I’m gonna break your arm.”

“Ok. What time?” Rich asks, tilting his head.

“Right after school, head straight there.” Sebastian says, grabbing Rich’s phone from the smaller one’s pocket. He sees that the lockscreen is of Rich and Jake, and he holds back a snicker. He swipes to open the phone, thanking whatever God is watching that this boy didn’t have a password of some sort. He puts in his phone number, then hands the phone back to Rich. “Text me and I’ll text you the address later, just don’t be late.”

Sebastian turns his head, his eyes going back to it normal color, which is blue ironically, but darker than his eyes can be when he’s using his powers. He sees Jake staring at him, a slight threat in his eyes. Sebastian does snicker at that, then walks away from Rich, who sits down and holds his head in his hands. 

As he leaves the gym, Sebastian counts the steps of stairs he’s walking down. He takes out his phone, looking at the time. 4:00 pm. He runs a hand through his curly hair as he leaves the school, walking in the direction of his apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 is where first person stops, just a heads up for the next chapter. Probably gonna post that tomorrow before my relatives show up. Alright, thank you


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael and Jeremy hang and Sebastian works on his plan, with the girls on his tail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No more first person, wanted to let yall know that. Enjoy

It’s now 5:45 pm when Jeremy arrives at Michaels, backpack on but a bag of snacks in his hand. They both head down to the basement, Jeremy talking about the play and how he’s excited about it. Michael just sat there and listened, rolling a joint and setting up a game as he did. Michael Mell, master of multitasking.

“Who knew a fake zombie apocalypse could be so exciting and get you all hyped.” Jeremy says, leaning back in his beanbag chair. Michael finishes rolling the joint, smirking.

“Well duh, we’ve been playing zombie games for years, Jerbear. It was only a matter of time when you found your calling. Slaying pretend zombies on stage.” Michael said, turning his attention to the screen. He set up a race of Mario Kart, giving Jeremy the other remote. He pauses, pulling away the controller from Jeremy. The smaller boy pouts at the action. 

“Did you take off your binder today?” Michael asks, raising an eyebrow. Jeremy groans, rolling around on his bag like a child before getting up and walking upstairs. He keeps extra clothes at Michaels, and Michael does the same at his house. They both practically live at eachothers houses. Michael grabs his speaker from beside his bag, plugging in his phone. He puts on Bob Marley, setting it on full blast so he could hear a louder groan and yelling coming from his friend. He chuckles as he changes the song, then sighs.

Jeremy walks back downstairs, not wearing his binder and wearing a different shirt. He looks at Michael, then plops back into his bag. Jeremy glances at Michael, grabbing his controller.

“We gonna p-play or w-what?” Jeremy asks, smiling. Michael looks at him, giving a small smile before turning serious. 

“I don’t like Sebastian.” Michael states, looking into Jeremy’s beautiful eyes the color of the ocean.

“What? Why not?” Jeremy asks, tilting his head. Michael brings the joint to his lips, lighting it.

“He gives off a bad vibe, not only that but he used mind manipulation on me today. And you know that with mind manipulation, you can either forget or remember what you did when under the person’s trance. I just want to know why.” Michael tells Jeremy, who looks stunned. He blew smoke into the air.

“He seemed nice, and cool.” Jeremy said, looking toward the screen. Michael shakes his head.

“Guess not, just. Be careful ok? Something is seriously up with this guy.” Michael said, thinking back to the incident. He told Sebastian his secret, but why did he want it? ‘Did he know I liked my best friend, or did he want to be a dick. Either way, it’s not like I can tell Jeremy.’ Michael sighs. “He’s bad news.”

“Well, let’s keep an eye on him then. If something is suspicious, we turn him into the police.” Jeremy says, taking the joint Michael handed to him, taking a drag.

“That’s the thing, we’ll need evidence he’s onto something, or plans on destroying the town.” Michael stares at his ceiling, rubbing his knuckles together.

“Then we’ll figure it out, spy on his or something. At least until we’re sure.” Jeremy said. “We could get the rest of the group in on it, it could help to have more than two people on the guy.”

Michael nodded, grabbing his controller. “Now onto more pressing matters, what the stake on this first race?”

“Loser buys the other a slushie from 7/11.” Jeremy said, smirking.

“Hell yeah! Be ready to buy me a Cherry slushie Heere because your ass is officially gonna be kicked.”

 

Sebastian looked at the tiny, gray pill in his hand. He finally finished a prototype for the SQUIP, a pill he can pass out to everyone in the school. He just needs to test it, and he doesn’t feel like waiting till Richard came along tomorrow. He stares at it for a second before placing it on his tongue and grabbing the Mountain Dew, chugging it. He puts down the drink, waiting for the results. He looks at his hand, concentrating. He wanted these pills to give people more powers, and for him to be able to control every Super in the world. Or at least in New Jersey. He thinks more, thinking that it could help with another issue of his, but he pushes that away. He then feels a shock, causing him to yelp in pain. That yelp turns into screaming as he spasms on the floor, shaking and flailing. After a few minutes he lays still, staring at the bottom of the couch, breathing heavily. He has some saliva dripping down onto his carpet. 

He turns, laying on his back. He stares at his ceiling, thinking of his parents. Thinking of this failure. He’s swallowed who knows how many pills to see if it worked. No bot, but he gets more powers each time. Of course, it won’t kick in for another couple hours. He takes a deep breath before starting to cry. He turns onto his side, sobbing more as he shook. His tears flowed like a river. He wipes away his tears with his sleeve, sniffling. He gets up slowly, clenching his fists. He looks at his computer, then flinches when he gets a shock in his spine. 

“What the fuck?!” He yells at no one, turning around. Behind him stands a figure with a blue hue, twitching. No, glitching.

“You didn’t notice me.” The bot says, tilting it’s head. It’s looks down at itself, a look of disappointment on his face. Sebastian sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“Fuck me, I programmed you to make yourself noticed! Talk to the person, don’t shock them for them to notice! Fucking hell.” Sebastian yells at it. He kicks his couch, letting out a noise of pain after he does. He sits down and holds his foot. “What power did I get lucky with today? Tell me that.” Sebatian

“Fire manipulation.” The bot tells him, tilting it’s head to the other side. 

“Richard’s power? How peculiar.” Sebastian said, grabbing the Mountain Dew Red from his fridge. He takes a deep breath before drinking the red liquid. When the pain kicks in, he drops the bottle and screams again, clutching his head. He then collapses, losing consciousness.

 

“Did you see that new guy, talk about shady.” Jenna said to Christine, both sitting outside the mall. “Like, how did I not hear about him? I usually hear about everybody.”

“Maybe someone finally knows how to fly under your radar.” Christine says, giggling as Jenna shoves her lightly and playfully. 

“No one can fly under my radar, I’m too great.” Jenna says, smiling.

“You invade people’s heads to get information about people.” Christine states. “That’s not great, that’s invasion of privacy.”

“Same thing.”

“No it’s not.”

“Hey guys.” Brook says, walking toward the two with Chloe. “We gonna eat or shop first?”

“I say eat, I’m hungry.” Christine says, standing up with a big smile on her face. 

“Me too.” Jenna said, standing up also. The four girls walk into the mall, stopping in the food court. Chloe and Brooke head to the McDonalds in the mall, because there’s never anything wrong with getting Mickey D’s, while Jenna and Christine get some pizza slices from Pizza Hut. As they sit at a table, chewing their food, Jenna brings up the new kid again.

“Hey Chloe, Brooke, what do you guys think about the new kid?” She asks, taking another bite of her pizza. Brooke shruggs.

“Honestly, he seems weird. He gives off a bad vibe.” Brooke states. “That’s about all I can say.”

“I see him talking to Jeremy, and just recently I saw him with Rich.” Jenna says, and Chloe looks at her.

“Nothing get’s past you Jenna.” She says, and the other girls giggle as Jenna smiles proudly. They keep eating their food, passing gossip and Christine talking about play practice. They’re in the food court for an hour, content with just talking. They never get time away from the other delinquents of the group, but are glad when they can. 

But they’re all stopped when someone enters the mall, Chloe tapping Brooke on the shoulder and pointing slightly. Sebastian stood proudly, looking like shit however. He had woken up a couple hours before, and school was out already. He slept through a whole day. He hates it when that happens. He needed to get more supplies for his experiment, glad that Rich is coming over later on. 

As he walks forward, heading to the second floor of the mall, the girls watch him. 

“We should follow him.” Jenna says, and all the girls slowly agree.

“If we get in trouble, it’s on you.” Christine says.

“We’re corrupting her, yay.” Brooke says as they rush to catch up with Sebastian. They stagger behind him, watching him walk into an electronics store. They all glance at each other before following him in. It’s a pretty big store, not that big, but it looked like it could be a part of Best Buy. 

“Nope. No. Aha.” Sebastian says, grabbing a couple phones. He stuffs them in his jacket, and the girls are stunned. 

“He’s stealing!” Christine whisper shouts. “We should report him.”

“Christine, as much as I agree with you, we need to figure out his plan. If he’s stealing supplies, that must mean he’s up to no good and we have to figure out what. This is petty crime.” Chloe whispers. “If he steals anything else, we’ll tell them, ok?”

“Fine.” Christine says, turning her attention back to Sebastian. He grabs a computer, heading to the counter to pay for it.

“That’s $200 sir.” The bored cashier says. Sebastian sighs, pulling out a $10 bill. His eyes glow as he hands the cashier his money. 

“How about a ten?” Sebastian asks, and the cashier takes it, nodding as he puts it in the register. Sebastian smirks as he walks away, walking out of the store. The girls, following him, glance at each other again, a look of fright on their faces. Christine stared at Sebastian, who used a power that  _ she  _ had. Mind manipulation, a power she hates using. 

“We have to tell someone.” She tells the other girls.

“We should tell the guys, maybe they can help us with him.” Chloe says, looking around at the other three. Sebastian turned his head a bit, listening to the unknowing girls.

“Then let’s head to Jake’s, his parents are never home anyway.” Jenna suggests.

“I’ll text him.” Christine pipes up, taking out her phone and sending a quick text to Jake, while also sending it to the other boys. Sebastian turns his head back to the front, putting a free hand in his pocket. He looks around to see if anyone else could be following, before leaving the mall. The girls stop, waiting for a bit inside the mall while Sebastian waits a couple seconds to see if they would follow. Guess not.

“Good.” He says to himself, walking to his car. The blue convertible shined in the daylight, making him snicker a bit. He puts his items in the back seat, jumping when his phone rings. He answers it quickly. “Rich?”

“Who else, I feel like I’m the only one who would call you.” Rich said on the other end.

“There’s others, now where are you?” Sebastian asks, eyes turning blue. 

“In front of your apartment, you wanted me here.” Rich said, and Sebastian smirks. He remembers what the girls said about texting Jake. Jake Dillinger. Richards boyfriend. “Did you get a text from anyone recently Richard?”

“Nope.” Rich said, but even Sebastian could sense the hesitation. 

“Now don’t lie Rich, or I’m gonna make you hurt.” Sebastian says, getting into his car.

“Christine and Jake texted me. They want to meetup to talk about you.” Rich said and Sebastian felt a bit heated from that, clenching his fist. He sighs.

“You are not to go, you shall stay in front of my apartment. I’ll be there soon.” Sebastian hangs up, starting his car. He drives off quickly, just as the girls got to Chloe’s car, since Jenna and Christine walked. As they got into the car, all thought the same thing as they buckled themselves in.

‘Was he talking to Rich?’

Sebastian walks into his apartment, Rich following closely behind. Rich closes the door after him, watching Sebastian open up the new computer, then smashing it on the ground.

“That wath a brand new computer!” Rich yelled, and Sebastian sighed, giving Rich a look that told him to shut up, then picks up the broken device to throw it down again. He keeps doing this till he can see the computer board in it, taking it out and taking out the small chip. He then walks over to his computer, that wasn’t broken, and picks up a pill. Rich watches, confused but interested. Within 10 minutes, the pill is ready, and Sebastian turns around with it in his hand. It was a gray, oblong pill. It had blue and gray lines all around it. Sebastian holds it out to him, a smirk on his face.

“Here you go, A super quantum unit intel processor.” Sebastian holds out the Mountain Dew and pill. “Your Squip.

Rich stares at it for a bit, then takes it, swallowing the pill dry before drinking the Mountain Dew. He almost chokes on the soda when the pain begin, dropping it and collapsing while screaming. Sebastian catches him, putting him on his side and covering his mouth. When Sebastian woke up the last time he swallowed a pill, he had a neighbor over him. How he got into the apartment is beyond him, but he’s too busy to think about it right now. Rich is shaking and convulsing, and Sebastian just watches the seizure. When Rich calms down and stops moving, Sebastian notices his hand is wet. He pulls it away from Rich’s mouth, seeing the younger boy had started crying during his seizure. 

Sebastian feels sorry, which is odd. He makes a mental note to 1. Don’t care about this boy and 2. Fix the problem with seizures. He hates getting them when he takes the pill, and he knows it feels terrible. He sits down in front of Rich, stroking Rich’s hair gently. His mom did that to him a lot when he was a child, always calmed him down.

“You can keep laying there if you want, just relax. I know that was intense, and you’re probably not used to those. It’s gonna get better now, easier.” Sebastian says softly, grabbing a pillow from his couch and placing it under Rich’s head.

“There’th a Keanu Reeveth looking guy here, older and with like facial hair.” Rich says slowly, and Sebastian leans in. 

“Are they glitching?” Sebastian asks, and Rich shakes his head. 

“He says congratulations, you finally completed your job.” Rich said, smiling slightly. Sebastian smiles, then stands up. 

“When you’re ready, you can leave. Your friends are probably wondering where you are, so head over there. Don’t tell them a thing, the Squip should help you out with that.” Sebastian says, sitting in his chair by the computer. “Also, it’s gonna shock you sometimes, when you’re doing something wrong. Just a warning. This is gonna help you get better Rich, and stronger. You should start unlocking a lot of powers.”

Rich stood up slowly, wobbling. He takes deep breaths, calming himself down before heading to the door. He opens it and walks out, but is stopped by Sebastian. 

“Can I get Jeremy’s number?” Sebastian asks, having a soft smile on his face. Rich nods slowly, taking out his phone and texting it to Sebastian quickly. The older boy thanks him.

“One more thing, the Squip doesn’t have a gender. So I think it’d be best if you use they/them. But it’s your Squip, so I guess it is your decision.” Sebastian says. “Have a nice day Richard.” 

He closes the door on Rich, and Rich pauses, staring at the door. The voice in his head reminds him that he has someplace to be, and so he leaves. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so happy thanksgiving, I hope yall have a great day and hopefully I'll get chapter 4 up tomorrow or maybe later on today. Anyway, till next chapter


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arguments and a date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, here's chapter 4, enjoy

“Sebastian isn’t a b-bad guy.” Jeremy tells the others, and the girls argue.

“He stole from a store, and paid $10 for a $200 computer!” Christine says, crossing her arms.

“He could be in a f-f-family with little money! T-Think of that?!” Jeremy argues.

“Then why is his car a Convertible, those cars are mad expensive.” Chloe butts in, knowing they’re getting the advantage.

“I’ve never met the guy, but he seems shady.” Jake said, running a hand through his hair. 

“He’s f-friendly to me.” Jeremy said. “And h-he hasn’t hurt anyone.” 

“Does sound like he’s doing shady shit Jere.” Michael said. “And remember what I told you, he used mind manipulation on me too. Do you understand how hard it is to catch me off guard like he did?”

“I u-understand that M-Michael, but did he ask you anything b-bad? You don’t even re-remember.” Jeremy tells him.

“Exactly, I don’t know what I said!” Michael said.

“Then y-you have no proof!” 

“Jeremy, that’s invalid.”

“We should at le-least see the good inside of h-him.” 

“So, we should fuck him?” Rich pipes up, causing everyone to turn and stare at him. “Door was open, sorry I’m late.”

“Why were you late? Everything ok?” Jake asks, walking over and giving Rich a small kiss.

“Yeah, just. You know how my dad is…” Rich trails off, looking to the floor. Jake nods, kissing Rich’s forehead. Jake turns back to the others as they continue arguing, Rich watching them as well.

“I’m just saying, we should be wary of him.” Michael says softly, crossing his arms. Jeremy pauses, then just nods.

“Fine, but w-we should at least see if he’s good first.” Jeremy tells him, then heads for the door.

“Jere, where are you going?” Michael asks.

“Home, I-I just need to think. A-Alone.” Jeremy says and walks out, closing the door behind him. 

“Michael, he’s just as anxious as you. He just needs to see that this guy is no good.” Christine says, placing a hand on Michael’s arm, since she was the smallest. “Give him space.”

“I’m his best friend, and… Fuck.” Michael said, sitting on Jake’s couch. 

“He’s probably pinning for you too, dude.” Rich says, sitting next to Michael. “You guys are like, soulmates. You’ve already been buds for 12 years, time to make the rest of the time being gay with each other.”

“Rich, you give weird pep talks.” Chloe tells him.

“I know, but they’re pep talks so you know they’re gonna end up great in some way.” Rich says back, giving her a goofy smirk. 

Outside, Jeremy stands by the door, then slowly walks away. As he turns to walk home, he feels tears slowly fall. He sniffles as he wipes his tears away, hoping no one sees him. The lanky loser who cries in public, pathetic. He feels his phone vibrate as he walks and he sighs, answering it without checking who it is.

“Michael, if y-you’re calling to apologize, I s-should apologize first.” Jeremy said into the phone, taking a deep breath.

“Well that’s nice Jeremy, but wrong person.” the person says, and Jeremy’s head perks up.

“S-Sebastian?” He asks, and he could hear a slight chuckle. 

“Hello Jeremy, I’m guessing something happened between you and Michael?” The other teen asks, sounding like he just sat down.

“Yeah, I’m ju-just a bit overwhelmed about it, s-sorry.” Jeremy said, running a hand through his hair, playing with his bangs a bit.

“You can, come over. We can chill and watch a movie or something. Get your mind off Michael.” Sebastian suggests, and Jeremy could just hear the smile in his voice. It makes Jeremy smile.

“S-Sure.” Jeremy answers, and on the other side, Sebastian pumps his fist in the air. 

_ Ok, stop Sebastian, that was weird. _

“I’ll pick you up then?” Sebastian asks, already putting his shoes on. 

“Yeah, I’m heading home anyway so I’ll j-just text you the address.” Jeremy said. “S-So I’ll see you in a b-bit.”

“Yes, alright. See you soon.” Sebastian hangs up with that, and Jeremy smiles down at his phone. He starts jogging home, getting there quickly since Jake only lived two blocks away. He gets inside, seeing his father sleeping on the couch, and quietly heads upstairs. He quickly changes his t-shirt for a button up with short sleeves and little alien heads all over as a design. 

He quickly texts Sebastian as he changes into his black skinny jeans and navy blue converse. He fixes his hair, then stares at himself in the mirror. Why was he so anxious about this? Could this be a date? I mean, it could.

_ But you like Michael.  _ He thinks, then shakes his head.  _ But he doesn’t like me back, we just argued about Sebastian. _

“Who I’m a-about to have a date with.” Jeremy whispers to himself. “Is it ev-even a date?”

When he says that, he hears a car honk outside. He puts on deodorant before walking downstairs, glad his dad is still sleeping. As he walks out, he examines Sebastian's car, seeing the he had the top off. Jeremy walks over to the car, hoping in while smiling. 

“Nice c-car.” Jeremy said, smiling at Sebastian. The other teen chuckled.

“Everyone says that.” Sebastian says, driving off. Jeremy leans back in his seat, loving the feeling of the wind in his ears and on his face. He turns his head to look at Sebastian, who looked handsome with the light. He had sunglasses on, since the sun was bright in the sky.  At the red light, Sebastian reaches into his glove box and pulls out another blue pair of sunglasses, handing them to Jeremy.

“It’s bright out, might want the sun out of your eye.” Sebastian tells him, smirking. Jeremy takes the sunglasses, putting them on. “Wanna stop somewhere, get something to eat?”

“S-Sure.” Jeremy said as he relaxes into his seat more. 

“Alright, hope you’re ok with burgers.” Sebastian tells him, and Jeremy chuckles.

“Who isn’t o-ok with b-burgers?” Jeremy says, running a hand through his hair. “Hey Sebastian?”

“Yes Jeremy.” 

“Is th-this a date?” 

“Only if you want it to be.” 

Jeremy blushes madly at that, giving a small smile.

“Yeah, it’d b-be nice if this wa-was a date.” He says softly.

“Then it’s a date, thank god too because I thought you would find it weird if I took you out to dinner and a movie.”

“Two bros, g-going to the movies and ha-hanging, no homo there.” They both laugh at that, both smiling and happy. Sebastian feels weird with the feeling, the feeling of happiness. It’s nice but also, odd. 

“Hanging out, that’s a good one.” Sebastian says softly, parking the car in front of a McDonald's.

“Mc-McDonald’s, fancy.” Jeremy said, causing Sebastian to smile.

“Don’t have much money, and I want to save some for the movie.” Sebastian says, taking off his sunglasses to look at Jeremy clearly. 

“A g-gentleman.” Jeremy jokes, which earn him a shove from Sebastian. They get out of the car and head inside the fast food restaurant. 

 

Michael stood in a store, looking at flowers.  _ Do guys apologize with flowers? Only if they’re in love with the person.  _

“Fuck.” He whispers softly to himself, sighing. He looks at the Roses, the flower that people mostly get if they’re in love with someone. And were a complete dick. He taps his foot, listening to Watsky but at the same time not listening. His hood is up and his headphones in, ignoring the world around him. 

Someone taps his shoulder, which causes him to jump. He turns to face Rich, who crosses his arms as Michael takes off his headphones.

“Roses?” Rich asks, giving a confused look.

“How the hell did you know where I was?” Michael asks, turning his attention back to the flowers.

“Unimportant, what’s important is fixing you and Jeremy.” Rich says, poking Michael in the arm. “So let’s focus on that.”

“I am, the roses are for him. I don’t even know if I should get him flowers.” Michael says. “For once, I don’t know.” 

Rich turns in time to see Michael start crying, which he knows Michael hates doing in public. He doesn’t like eyes on him, it makes him tense and uneasy. Rich hugs Michael, rubbing his back in small circles as he glares at people staring. 

_ You shouldn’t do that, it could make some people hate you _ .

And I’m okay with that, my friend needs me.

Rich was glad the Squip didn’t say anything after that, giving Michael his full attention. When the boy calmed down, he pulled his hood up, since he took it down when Rich showed up.

“Ask him to homecoming.” Rich said, smiling. Michael watches him, still having a sad look. “And if he says yes, he’ll either say it’s a date or no homo.” 

“I don’t know Rich, I don’t like crowded places like that. Besides, what if he says no?” Michael says, playing with a friendship bracelet Jeremy gave him when they were 8. It was red and blue, and Jeremy had a matching one. He smiles at it, a small pain tugging at his chest.

“You have a month before the dance, it’ll be great to start planning and ask him out soon. We can help you.” Rich said, referring to the rest of their friends. 

“Fine, but if he says no, I’m blaming you.” Michael says.

“Alright, now first things first, get the roses, red and yellow.” Rich says.

“Red and yellow, why yellow?” Michael asks as he grabs the flowers.

“I learned that yellow roses symbolize friendship, so get twelve, since you guys have been friends for that many years. Get one red rose to symbolize the love you have, or two to symbolize the love you both have.” Rich said, looking at the flowers. When Michael holds the bouquet in his hands, he stares at Rich.

“When the hell did you become, like, a love wizard?” Michael asks, stunned with Rich.

“I’ve always been one, just didn’t use it much unless it was for Jake.” Rich said, smiling. Michael punches him in the arm playfully, earning a small squeak from the other boy.

“That’s for hiding that you could do that, dick.” Michael says, giving Rich a small smile. They head for checkout, but Michael glances at Rich, unsure if he hear something.

“What?” Rich asks, catching him staring.

“You want a Rice Krispy Treat?” Michael asks, pointing to the blue bars.

“Nah, Rice Krispy Treats are good, I just don’t want one now.” Rich said as he walks ahead of a, once again, stunned Michael.

He follows Rich, thinking about how the smaller boy could have lost his lisp.

 

A couple hours later, the time being 9 pm, Sebastian and Jeremy walk out of the local theater, both holding a drink in their hand.

“They made P-Pennywise super creepy in that, c-creepier than the original.” Jeremy said, walking toward Sebastian’s car. They had their hands interlocked, a smile on both of their faces. 

“That’s very true, but it wasn’t all that scary.” Sebastian said, leaning against his car.

“A-Agreed.” Jeremy said, and Sebastian laughs at that.

“That’s a lie, you were holding me the whole time.” Sebastian says, his laughing turning into a chuckle. Jeremy turned red, rubbing his neck. 

“Sorry.” Jeremy said softly, and Sebastian gives a soft smile. 

“Don’t be, you’re always welcome to hold onto me.” Sebastian said, then paused because-

“T-That was gay.” Jeremy stutters, giggling. Sebastian smiles, then kisses Jeremy on the cheek. They both feel their heart flutter, Jeremy feels guilty however. He thinks about Michael, and his warning about Sebastian. This guy manipulated his best friend, and now he’s on a date with him. 

_ What’s wrong with me? _

“Jeremy, you ok?” Sebastian asks, Jeremy staring at him then nodding slowly. The smell of weed filled the air, causing Jeremy to look around. He notices a familiar figure near the main entrance to the theater, but the figure is dim and hard to make out. 

“Do you want me to take you home?” Sebastian asks, placing a hand on Jeremy’s face gently. “You look shaken up.”

“Yeah, l-lets go.” Jeremy said, getting into the car. Once both teens are in the car, they drive off, leaving the other teen smoking alone. The teen is looking at his phone, looking at the picture he took of Sebastian and Jeremy. He sends it to a contact under the name “Party Guy”. 

 

**DaSupplier:** Yo, isnt this Mell’s boyfriend or whatevs?

**PartyGuy:** Where the hell are you? 

**DaSupplier:** Movies, but I’m high as a kite so I felt like showing u to make sure I aint that fucked up

**PartyGuy:** Were they on a date?

**DaSupplier:** Looked like it, kiss on da cheek n everything

**PartyGuy:** Thanks, could’ve just said yes

 

On the other end of the conversation, Jake stares at the picture of Sebastian and Jeremy smiling at one another. He sighs, thinking about the argument that they had this afternoon. Jeremy went on a date after arguing with Michael, talk about crazy. He walks over to his room, looking around at the empty house. He opens the door, leaving it ajar as he takes off his shirt. And stripping down to his boxers. He sits on his bed, pulling up the picture again. He thinks about Michael, how broken he’s gonna feel.

“Babe, go to sleep.” Rich says groggily, pulling Jake by his arm. Jake smiles at the sleepy boy, placing his phone on the nightstand by his bed as he laid down. He wraps his arm around Rich’s waist, pulling the already sleeping boy close. He places a small kiss on the top of his head as he slowly slips into slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was something, so if you guys didn't figure, that person at the end texting Jake was in fact Dustin. Did you like the names? I giggle every time honestly. Anyway, I hope you liked it and thanks for reading this. Chapter 5 will probably be up tomorrow. Have a good day!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A talk, A Squip, a fight and something that stings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terrible at summaries, can ya tell?
> 
> TWs: Abuse, seizure (I want to add this in case)
> 
> Enjoy

Monday marked a three week mark till Homecoming. Well, the Saturday before did, but still. Everyone was buzzing when they walked into the school, and Christine was debating on if she wanted to go or not. She has no one to go with, while all her friends do. Rich and Jake are obviously going together, Michael and Jeremy always pair up, and Jenna never goes. She really wants to go this year, but who would take Christine?

“Hey!” Jenna says as she bounds toward Christine. “You ok?”

“Wha- Yeah, I’m all good.” Christine answers, realizing she’s been staring at her locker for a while. She opens it, still thinking about the dance. 

“Did you hear?” Jenna said, which causes Christine to raise an eyebrow since she never hears about anything unless Jenna tells her. “Jeremy was on a date with creepy guy, Sebastian.”

“Wait what? Even after our discussion about the guy?” Christine asks, crossing her arms. “What about Michael?”

“I don’t know, but Michael came into school today looking sad and angry. A bad combo when it comes to him.” Jenna says, rubbing her neck. “Rich told me there was a plan to ask out Jeremy to homecoming.”

“Really?” Christine asks. 

“Yeah, poor Michael is crushed about all this.” Jenna says. 

“I’ll talk to Jeremy, he tends to listen to me.” Christine says, and Jenna smiles.

“He didn’t yesterday, but give it a try.” Jenna says, then walks away. Christine checks her watch, finding that it’s time for first period. She doesn’t have Jeremy this period, but Michael does. All she can do is think about Michael while she sat through her morning classes. 

When lunch rolls around, she’s able to find Jeremy quickly. She grabs him and pulls him to the only gender neutral bathroom in the school.

“What’s up with you?” Christine asks, putting her hands on her hips. 

“What do you mean?” Jeremy says, even though he knows what this is about.

“Why are you dating Sebastian? Didn’t you listen to us? He’s bad news, Jeremy.” Christine says, stepping toward him. She’s shocked when he steps back. 

“He was nice to me, treated me with respect. He even paid for dinner and our movie.” Jeremy said, clenching his fists. “You got him all wrong, Chris.”

“I know a bad guy when I see one, and you know I’m never wrong about people.” She tells him, sighing. “You have to see him for who he is, Jeremy.” 

“A nice and respectful guy, who loves and respects me. I do see him like that.” He walks forward, and Christine feel like this is gonna escalate. He just walks past her, opening the door.

“You’re making a mistake Jeremy, please get out of this while you can.” Christine says. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I’m gonna be fine Christine, so stop worrying. I’m not a person you should worry about.” Jeremy says, and walks out of the bathroom. Christine watches the door close. 

“But you are.” Christine says to herself, then leaves the bathroom. She walks to the cafeteria quickly, finding their usual table had two empty seats. She scans the room and sees that Jeremy is sitting with Sebastian, both smiling and laughing. Christine wonders how quickly it took Jeremy to get that smile on his face.

She walks over to the usual table, sitting next to Michael. He turns to look at her, a sad look in his eye, but also a look of anger and fear.

She pats his back, then looks at Jenna.

“I tried.” She tells her, and looks at everyone else. Rich was looking at Sebastian and Jeremy, looking focused on them. 

“Jeremy’s probably just trying to prove that Sebastian is a nice guy, but I have a feeling that the second Jeremy sees his true colors.” Jake starts, then picks up two fries that are stuck together. He pulls them apart. “Bye bye, Sebastian.”

“That was the dorkiest thing I ever fucking saw.” Chloe says, giggling. “Who the hell uses fries to talk about relationships?” 

“Cool and hungry people Chlo.” Jake says, eating both fries. Michael lifts his head, turning his phone in his hand. 

“Jeremy’s probably doing it because I made him mad with our argument the other day.” Michael says, facing the rest of the group. “Whenever one of us are mad at the other, we just stop talking for at least a day. He’ll probably be back tomorrow.”

“No, he won’t.” Rich says, twitching a bit. He was still staring at Sebastian and Jeremy, and, even though the others couldn’t see it, his eyes were red. “He’s gonna be with him for a while Michael. You should’ve done things sooner.” 

Rich stands up and walks away, Jake watching him. Everyone glances at Jake, who watches as Rich walks over to Sebastian and Jeremy.

“Sebastian, we need to talk.” Rich says and is shocked when he stands up and glares at him.

“Meet me in the bathroom, now.” Sebastian orders, and Rich flinches as he gets a shock from his Squip. He slowly backs away and leaves the cafeteria, Jeremy watches in silence.

“What the hell was that?” Jeremy asks, standing up also. 

“You, come with me.” Sebastian says as he turns to Jeremy. “You were gonna learn later, but since he had to ruin it.”

“Ruin what?” 

“Come on.” Sebastian says as he walks out of the cafeteria, Jeremy following suit. The rest of group watches, Jake standing up and is about to follow when Michael grabs him. 

“You’re not going alone.” Michael says as he stands up. 

With that, both boys head out of the cafeteria. The girls follow suit, and soon the group is out in the halls. They look around, but don't see any of the three boys in the halls.

In one of the boys bathrooms, Sebastian holds up a pill for Jeremy, which makes Rich scared. He hugs himself as he watches this scene. 

“This is a Squip, a pill that helps you fit in and be cool, all the while giving you powers that would usually take years to get in weeks or sometimes a month.” Sebastian explains, smirking. “This is something very powerful.”

“Sounds powerful.” Jeremy says, rubbing his arm. 

“Take it then, maybe it'll help you in ways you never thought of.” Sebastian says, holding out the pill and a bottle of Mountain Dew. Jeremy takes the pill, shaking. He shakily brings it to his mouth, swallowing it dry, but then grabs the Mountain Dew and drinks it with the minty flavor in his mouth. It's a bit weird.

“Sebastian, this was a bad idea.” Rich said, hands shaking. He gets shocked again. Jeremy is about to ask Rich about what he was talking about before feeling pain. He collapses into Rich’s arms, who slowly puts him down on his side as he has his seizure. Rich feels tears escape as he watches his friend convulse, and Sebastian is timing it. After a certain amount of time, Jeremy goes still. 

“He had a longer seizure than you.” Sebastian states, crouching down. Jeremy has his eyes open, staring at Sebastian. He gives him a look of sadness, and despair. 

_ Jeremy Heere, welcome to your Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor. Your Squip.  _

A man looking like Keanu Reeves stands behind Sebastian, and this causes Jeremy to stand up. He gives a shaky breath as he stood, tears falling.

_ Stop crying. _

Jeremy slowly obeys, wiping away the tears. Sebastian smirks, then turns to the door. Jeremy and Rich follow him out, Rich watching Jeremy. As they walk, they hear the bell ring, signaling for them to head to their next class. Sebastian hums a bit, then just walks away from the other two boys. Rich looks at Jeremy.

“I’m sorry.” Rich says, and Jeremy hugs him tightly as other students filled the halls. Rich wraps his arms around him tightly, turning his head to see their friends watching. He catches sight of Michael, who looks like he could kill him now if he could. Rich just focuses on helping Jeremy, pulling him to their next class, which they had together. 

Michael watches the two boy’s walk away, not having any words for that. Jeremy was sad, which means maybe he saw what Sebastian truly is. Michael walks away from the group, pulling his hood up as he walks out of the school. Last minute ditch, he’s done it before. He’s usually done it with Jeremy. He gets into his car quickly and drives home, blasting his music. He bobs his head as the music soars, listening to Aerosmith. He parks the car in his driveway, turning it off and getting out. He feels his phone buzzing, but ignores it. 

“Michael, what’re you doing home?” His Nanay asks as he walks in. He about to just walk past her, say nothing and just rot in room, when she stops him.

“Mom, please. I can leave early.” Michael states, not looking at his mother.

“Not unless you have a reason.” His nanay says,  crossing her arms. Michael faces her, and his mother sees his tears. He sinks to the ground and sobs. She quickly sits on the floor, pulling her son to her. Michael wraps his arms around his mother’s waist, crying into her shoulder. 

“He doesn’t love me. He doesn’t love me mom.” Michael tells her, sobbing more. She knew right away what he was talking about, and rubbed his back.

“Yes, he does anak.” She says reassuringly. Michael shakes his head.

“No, he doesn’t. He’s dating some other guy, who’s better than me in every way.” Michael says. “I’m nothing to him now.”

“Hey.” She pulls his face, making him look into her eyes. “You’re a handsome, young man. You have been friends with him since you were in diapers, Michael. I’ve seen the way he looks at you, the way he smiles.”

“It’s like all the ones you give him.” She finishes, and Michael wipes away his tears. He looks down, hands shaking. 

“I’m sorry for ditching mom.” He tells her, staring at his hands. “It’s just. It hasn’t been great, watching him with another guy, who obviously doesn’t like him.”

“Then save him.” His mom says, walking into the room. He looks at his other mother. “If there’s anyone who can save him from heartache and himself. It's you.” 

Michael nods, giving a weak smile. He looks at his mom for a bit longer, then looks at his nanay. 

“Can I go to homecoming?”

 

After school, Rich and Jeremy head to Sebastian’s place. They walk into the apartment, and the second they do, Sebastian hits Rich with a hard punch.

“You idiot, you probably broke your cover!” He yells at Rich, then turns and grabs Jeremy tightly. “And you. Don’t ask questions, ever. I’ll tell you things when I want to, don’t ever make me have to tell you or show you.” 

Jeremy was cringing in pain, tears swelling in his eyes.

“Do you understand?!” Sebastian yells, and Jeremy nods frantically. Sebastian lets go of him, glaring at him. He sighs, walking to his computer. “Get some rest, I have a guest room.”

“Guest room?” Rich asks.

“Yeah, my parents paid for this place. They always have money for something.” Sebastian states, then mumbles something that’s inaudible to Jeremy and Rich. “It’s down the hall to the left.” 

Rich and Jeremy hear that, and head to the guest room. There’s only one bed, and they glance at each other. Rich sighs and hops onto the bed, Jeremy just slowly lays down. They both lay on their side, facing away from each other. Rich closes his eyes, sighing.

“So, he’s really a bad guy.” Jeremy says mostly to himself, but this causes Rich to open his eyes. “I should’ve listened to Michael, and now he’s mad at me.” 

Rich reaches his hand back and grabs Jeremy’s gently, stroking it softly. 

“You did nothing wrong Jeremy, you thought he was a good guy. It’s not your fault for seeing the good in people.” Rich says softly. Jeremy turns around, and Rich does the same. They just lay there staring at each other, but it’s hard to tell if this is uncomfortable. Both don’t know if it’s uncomfortable or not. 

“I hate that I d-do that.” Jeremy says, and flinches from getting shocked. Rich runs his hands down Jeremy’s side, feeling his binder.

“How long have you been wearing it?” Rich asks, sitting up. Jeremy looks away, which tells Rich the answer right away. “Get up, I’ll help you get it off.”

Jeremy slowly nods, sitting up. Rich has him take off his shirt and helps with the binder, not looking at Jeremy’s chest. Jeremy puts his shirt back on, taking a deep breath and stretching. 

“I’m tired.” Jeremy says and Rich nods, then hugs Jeremy. Being the shortest, it was weird for Rich, but it helped Jeremy fall asleep quicker. 

Once he was asleep, Rich slowly unfolded himself from Jeremy. He gets up and leaves the room, closing it behind him. He twitches from a shock, and the voice in his head telling him to leave Sebastian alone. He ignores it, and just walks. He sees Sebastian working on his computer, and his hands start feeling warm. He takes a deep breath as fire forms around his hand, shaking as he moved towards the distracted teen. He brings his hand up, the throws a punch with the hand on fire. Sebastian pushes his chair quickly, moving out of the way, just in time. Rich ends up cracking the desk, and surprising it doesn’t set it a flame.

“Now Richard, you don’t want to fight a fight you can’t win.” Sebastian says, smirking.

“You shouldn’t have brought Jeremy into this, played him.” Rich says, eyes turning a dark orange. “You can’t keep manipulating people!”

“Oh, but I can Richard.” Sebastian says, smirking. Rich throws another punch, Sebastian blocking it and hitting Rich with a fire punch of his own. Rich is shocked by the burning sensation to his shirt. He quickly takes it off, tossing it to the side as it burns. Sebastian takes this time to land another punch to Rich’s face, chuckling darkly. 

Rich conjures up a fireball in his hands, then throws it at Sebastian, shaking a bit. Sebastian catches it, crushing it in his hands to make it disappear. Sebastians eyes turn blue and he holds up his hand, causing Rich to freeze. Rich’s eyes turns a shade of blue that’s like Sebastian's, but darker. Sebastian slowly closes his hand and Rich starts screaming in pain. 

“You forget, I’m in control.” Sebastian stops, but his hand is slightly clenched. Rich is holding his head in pain, tears falling.

“THOP IT!” Rich screams, breathing heavily. Sebastian unclenches his fist, eyes turning back to the greenish color they had. He towers over Rich, who’s curled up and sobbing. 

“You listen to me, do you understand?” Sebastian says, a crooked smile on his face. Rich stays silent, not looking at Sebastian.

“ANSWER ME!” Sebastian yells, causing Rich to flinch and nod frantically. 

“Yes, I understand.” Rich says quickly, and Sebastian snickers. He turns around to face the person who walked into the fight almost undetected. 

“Do you understand too Jeremy?” Sebastian asks, walking toward the smaller and shaking boy. 

“Y-Y-Yeah.” Jeremy stutter and Sebastian slaps him.

“Say that again, but don’t stutter.” Sebastian commands, and Jeremy nods slowly. He flinches, standing straighter.

“Yeah, I understand.” Jeremy says, holding back tears. 

“Excellent, we’re gonna be the best pair out there Jeremy. You’ll be more chill and everyone will want to be  _ you. _ ” Sebastian says, pulling Jeremy close. “You’re gonna be the perfect boyfriend, I’ll make you so amazing, Michael will love you.”

Jeremy lets the tears fall with that, and doesn’t do anything when Sebastian places a kiss on his lips. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, hope you liked it. I feel like my writing is getting either better or worse, but I can't tell honestly. Anyway, till next time.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> shopping, hacking, and hurting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another day, another chapter (Even though it's been 2 days since I uploaded the next chapter). So enjoy this chapter!
> 
> TW: Abuse  
> (Tell me if I should add more)

The group, excluding Jeremy and Rich, were out shopping for clothes to wear to homecoming. It was in a week. Ever since the day Rich walked off to Sebastian, they’ve seen Rich and Jeremy look more weak. Rich doesn’t talk to Jake anymore, blocked him that very night. Jeremy blocked Michael a day later. No one has been able to contact them, not even talk to them in the halls. They just walk past. 

Michael adjusts his tie, looking into the mirror. He was wearing a red tux, which seemed a bit much to him, but Jenna said it looked perfect. Everyone thought it was perfect, so why doesn’t it feel perfect. Maybe it’s because in the end, he’s going with everyone except Jeremy. He was gonna ask Jeremy, but now his best friend doesn’t even glance at him. Is he even his friend anymore?

“You ok, Michael?” Christine asks, stepping into the room. He nods, wiping away a tear he didn’t notice.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking about the dance next Saturday.” Michael said with a soft smile.

“I know it’s gonna hurt seeing him with Sebastian, but maybe we can do something.” Christine says, grabbing his arm softly. “There’s always a way.”

“Right now, doesn’t seem like it.”

Outside of the room, everyone was dressed up in formal attire. Jake wore a white button up with a black vest, and a black bowtie. A classic. Jenna wore a blue dress, with blue flats. Chloe stuck with a pink dress that went up to her knees, and Brooke went with yellow. She always looks good in yellow, and Chloe would absolutely agree. When Christine and Michael walked out of the room, all of them marvelled at Michael’s tux.

“Holy shit dude, you look snazzy.” Jake says, smiling at him. Christine was wearing a black dress with a small sweater to match. Everyone compliments on her dress, all the while complimenting Michael.

“So we have our outfits. Now we’re all snazzy, as Jake says.” Chloe said, Jake giving a thumbs up to the group. They rent their outfits and leave the store, while walking they see Rich alone. That’s odd, he’s never alone. He’s usually with Sebastian or Jeremy, or both. 

Jake looks at his boyfriend - Would it be ex? - and frowns, his stomach getting a bad feeling. Michael watches Rich, watching as the boy fidgets in his seat. He’s waiting.

“Who for?” Jenna asks out loud to Michael, having read his mind.

“Something tells me Sebastian or Jeremy are nearby, and something else tells me it’s Sebastian.” Michael says, then hands his bag to Jenna, walking toward Rich. Jake grabs him, pulling him back. 

“Let me do it.” Jake says. “I want to talk to him.”

Michael watches Jake, knowing he’s nervous about how this could unfold. He slowly nods at the slightly taller boy, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Be careful Jake.” Michael says, and lets go as Jake walks toward Rich. As soon as he close enough, Rich looks at him with sad eyes. Jake sits next to him slowly, sighing. 

“Can you see me?” Jake asks. 

“Yeah.” Rich says, bouncing his leg. 

“What’s going on Rich?” Jake rubs his hands on his his pants. “We’re worried.”

“I can’t say, he’ll hurt me.” Jake pauses, then turns his head toward Rich.

“Sebastian?” Jake asks with pain in his voice.

Rich slowly nods, clenching his fists in his lap. 

“He’s hurting Jeremy too, hell, I think he’s getting it worse than me. Sebastian has him forced into this relationship, and he keeps touching Jeremy. He says no, but Sebastian does it anyway.” Rich says, and flinches, letting out a small noise as he did.

“Are you ok?” Jake says, grabbing Rich. The smaller boy pushes him slightly, standing.

“There’s something called a Squip, a supercomputer in a pill. Here.” Rich places something in Jake's hands. Rich flinches, shaking a bit. “Take it, analyze it. Do not swallow it.” 

Rich slowly walks back and leaves, hugging himself. Jake watches as he waits outside a store, watching as Sebastian comes into view. Jake walks back to the other, holding out the pill. 

“He said analyze this.” Jake says, and Christine takes it. 

“Michael, do your mom's still have all that tech from their missions in New York?” She asks, and Michael smirks.

“They never got rid of it.”

 

Everyone stood in Michael’s basement, Michael moving his game consoles and the beanbags off to the side. He hooks up his computer to his tv, making the screen a full screen for everyone to see. He grabs the device that’s hooked up to his computer, which is as small and as thin as a needle, which is exactly what they wanted. The wire connecting the two was white, and the end was a plug in or a needle, something you can switch. Michael has a needle on the end, and picks up the pill, slowly inserting the needle into it. His moms are standing in the back, watching as codes were appearing on the tv screen. 

“This is new.” Michael says out loud, but mostly talking to himself. 

“What do you mean, new?” Chloe asks, crossing her arms.

“When Jeremy taught me how to hack, he showed me every possible thing to do to break into something, no matter how old or what company owns it, it should work. This system is completely new, like brand new. Seems like there’s no way to hack into it.” Michael explains, biting his lip. He concentrates on the codes, his fingers typing away fast. Everyone is silent, standing behind the hacker as he continues. Then he shouts with his fists in the air.

“Boom!” He yells.

“You hacked it?!” Jake asks, and Michael laughs.

“Oh no, this thing is sorta unhackable for now.  _ But,  _ I was able to track it’s original source, where it was made.” Michael says, then looks up the address on google. “An apartment complex?” 

“What the hell?” Jenna asks herself. 

“I’m gonna get into the computers, hack into everything in each apartment. There’s something in one of these apartments.” Michael says quietly, as he hacks into a computer, showing a girl and who looks to be her mother baking a cake. He continues, passing by live feed of old women watching tv, men smoking, but he stops when he sees someone lying on a couch. The person looks to be sleeping, wearing a blue hoodie with the hood up, and baggy pants. He’s also wearing socks with some pattern on it, but it’s too blurry to see what. 

“Why did you stop? There’s nothing.” Chloe says. 

“But there is.” Michael says, then walks towards the screen, pointing to the back of the hoodie. On it are designs of wings, and Michael chuckles weakly. “I made that hoodie for Jeremy years ago, heck I even put patches on it like mine. He was so happy.”

“So, that’s Jeremy?” Jake asks, walking toward the tv. 

“Yeah, that’s the dork himself.” Michael said, then takes out his phone. Before he does, he looks through the computer he hacked into. “Whoa, looks like more of that fucking program the pill has.”

“Unhackable?” One of his mom's asked.

“Unhackable, but looks like I can activate something. It’s called vision, looks like we might be able to see something.” Michael says as he hits activate. As he does, the screen turns lighter. A light blue, the whole live feed looking like a scanning system. Michael thinks, then takes out his phone. He calls the number that's on speed dial, bring it up to his ear. As it rings, a phone rings in the apartment. The sleeping boy on the couch turns slowly, grabbing his phone from the table next to him. 

“Don’t answer it.” A voice says, and everyone watches as a man slowly appears. He looked blue, no, he was blue. It looked like a hologram. He looked like Keanu Reeves, and everyone was silent as they stared at the hologram man.

The boy checks who it is, then sits up quickly. He takes off his hood, revealing a sleepy and disheveled Jeremy. Michael sucks in his breath when he sees his friend, sporting a black eye and a bloody nose. He also seemed to have a bruise on his cheek also, and hickey’s down his neck. Jake put a hand over his mouth, shaking a bit. Christine hugs him gently, letting him hold her. 

“It’s Michael.” Jeremy says quietly, then smiles gently. “I want to answer.”

“No.” The Keanu Reeves says, stepping toward Jeremy. “You mustn’t answer, you know the consequences to talking to those people.”

“But it’s Michael.” Jeremy says, smile leaving his face. He sighs, and looks at the Keanu Reeves. He answers the phone, which causes the Keanu Reeves to get angry and grab him, shaking him. Jeremy shakes, being shocked. He brings the phone up to his ear as his Squip stops.

“Jeremy.” Michael says into the phone, and he watches as Jeremy slowly gets up and walks toward the computer. He sits down on the chair in front of the computer, and Keanu Reeves disappears. 

“Hey M-Michael.” Jeremy says softly, smiling a weak smile. Michael slowly moves toward the screen, Jenna moving towards him. 

“I miss you buddy.” Michael says, putting his hand on the screen. “I miss our game nights.”

“Yeah, me too.” Jeremy says. “You k-know, one of these days. I-I’m gonna kick your ass i-in Mario Kart.” 

Michael chuckles lightly, tears falling.

“Yeah, you can’t beat me buddy.” Michael says and watches as Jeremy giggles weakly, tears falling down his face as well. 

“I’m sorry Michael.” Jeremy says, bringing a hand up to wipe his tears. 

“Don’t.” Michael says. “Don’t apologize.”

They hear movement in the live feed, causing Jeremy to tense.

“I g-g-gotta go.” Jeremy says.

“I’m gonna get you out of there soon, I promise.” Michael says, leaning back to press a button on the keyboard. Jeremy looks up at the camera on the computer, seeing the light next to it light up. Jeremy smiles as he hangs up. The front door opened, causing Jeremy to back away from the computer and stand by the couch. Sebastian walked in, Rich following behind. 

“Hello Jeremy, hope we didn’t intrude on anything.” Sebastian said, a smirk on his face. Jeremy doesn’t look at Sebastian, instead looking at Rich. Sebastian frowns, turning and hitting Rich. Jeremy steps forward but Sebastian hold up a hand, stopping him in his tracks. 

“S-Sebastian, h-he did nothing w-w-wrong.” Jeremy said, fidgeting with his hands. Sebastian sighed, putting his hands on his hips.

“Oh, but he did.” Sebastian turns toward Rich. “Right? Didn’t you break the rules?”

“I-I…” Rich pauses, looking down. Jeremy grabs Sebastian’s arm gently, holding him back.

“Come on, Sebastian. J-Just let it go.” Jeremy says, looking up at the taller teen. 

“Leave it Jeremy.” Rich says softly. “I talked to Jake…” 

Sebastian shoves Jeremy away when he hears that, stepping closer to Rich. 

“And what were the rules, Richard?” 

“N-No talking to our friends.” Rich says softly, sounding defeated. Sebastian steps closer, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Stop stuttering, say it again without stuttering. And talk louder.” Sebastian orders. Rich takes a deep breath.

“No talking to our friends.” Rich says louder, looking up at Sebastian. Sebastian smirks, pleased. 

“Now you Jeremy.” Sebastian turns toward Jeremy now, causing the teen to tense. “You broke the rules as well.”

“I. No, no I didn’t.” Jeremy says, going back to fidgeting with his hands. Sebastian walks over to Jeremy, grabbing him by the collar of his hoodie. 

“Don’t lie.” Sebastian says sternly. “How was your call with Michael?”

“H-How did-”

“You forget, my Squip is the main link, meaning I can learn all about your day in seconds. Hell, your week.” Sebastian smirks. “Nothing can hide from your Squip, and nothing can hide from me.”

“I’m sorry.” Jeremy says quickly. “I’m sorry I talked to Michael, just please. I’m sorry.”

“You’re pathetic.” Sebastian chuckles, letting go of Jeremy. “Both of you are.”

Rich moves quickly, wrapping his arms around Sebastian. He then holds onto Sebastian tightly as he ignites flames on his arms. Sebastian struggles in Rich’s grip, now furious. Jeremy backs away quickly, getting up and closing his eyes. He calms down slowly, flinching from the curses Sebastian is throwing at Rich. When he opens his eyes, the lights flicker. 

“Jeremy, if you do this, I swear I will make you suffer!” Sebastian yells, feeling the burns on his arms and chest worsen. 

Jeremy opens his palm, tiny sparks flying out of his hands. The lights continue to flicker as more sparks appear on his hand. He slowly puts his hand on Sebastian’s chest, just above Rich’s flames. Jeremy takes a deep breath as he finally sends the electricity in his hand into Sebastian, shocking the older teen. Sebastian yells with pain in his voice. Rich is getting shocked too, but he doesn’t let go. 

Sebastian stares at Jeremy, starting to chuckle. Sebastian pulls an arm out of Rich’s grip, grabbing Jeremy’s arm tightly. He uses his flames then, starting to burn Jeremy. Rich thinks it his flames and loosens his grip to go lower. Bad move. Sebastian moves his other arm to elbow Rich in the face, causing Rich to let go entirely. Rich holds his nose as Sebastian grabs Jeremy’s wrist and twists it. Jeremy gasps, and Sebastian smirks. 

“You think you’re so powerful.” Sebastian grabs Jeremy by his neck, squeezing. “You aren’t. You’re weak and pathetic, just like the rest of your pathetic friends.” 

Rich jumps on Sebastian, punching him over and over on his head. Sebastian lets go of Jeremy, grabbing Rich and flipping him over his shoulder, bringing him down on Jeremy. Both boys are on the ground, Rich’s nose bleeding like a leaking faucet. Jeremy slowly pushed Rich off of him, Sebastian just watching. He slowly turns his head toward the computer, looking at the light that was on. He grins, walking toward the computer. His shirt was ruined, and his nose was bleeding also from the shocks that felt like too much. He sits in front of the computer, crossing his arms. He flinches, feeling the burns. 

“So, you got into my computer? Congratulations are in order, Michael. I’m glad you could join us, welcome. Sebastian stands up backing away slowly. 

“Sebastian, leave it.” Sebastian’s Squip says, appearing in the form of an older man. He looked like Sebastian, an older version of the boy. Like Jeremy’s squip but, less Keanu Reeves. 

“Shut up, I can do what I fucking want.” Sebastian shouts, clenching his fists. He glares at the computer, grinding his teeth together.

“You want to know what I’m doing Michael, next time turn off the light. Simple mistake.” He chuckles darkly. “I sure hope you can make it to homecoming this year, I understand that you’re not a big fan of that but. People change, right?”

Jeremy slowly stands up behind him, helping Rich up. 

“It’s gonna be fun this year, and I would hate it if you missed the opening of a brand new drug. Splendid right?” Sebastian says, smirking. “Maybe I’ll even give you one, for free. It’ll be great to have you on my side.”

Jeremy and Rich move out of the picture, heading to the bathroom.

“I’ll see you Saturday, don’t be late to the party.” Sebastian reaches over and turns off his computer. 

 

Michael and the others stare at the black screen, all stunned with the scene they had just watched.

“He was burned and shocked at the same time, and still kicked their asses.” Jenna says slowly, having the same stunned expression that everyone else had. 

“He’s stronger than we thought.” Michael says, turning off the tv and standing up. He turns and faces the others. “Homecoming night, he’s going forth with. Whatever the hell he’s got planned.”

“Sounds like he’s gonna pass out those pills.” Jake says. “That hologram guy, that was the Squip.”

“It’s a fucking computer in a pill that can take the form of a person.” Chloe says. “That’s some high tech shit.” 

“No duh, the big question is how to stop it.” Christine says, and everyone goes silent at that. 

“How do we stop Sebastian?” Jake asks softly, and nobody has an answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so if I finish chapter 9, chapter 8 will be posted tomorrow. I like being two chapters ahead. It's weird, but works for me. Anyway, have a good day.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting ready, checking up, and getting ready again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, two chapters in one day! I'm on a role. This one is pretty short, and probably not the best written.
> 
> Edit: It wasn't on the same day, I didn't notice it was midnight.

The week of homecoming went by slower than all of them thought. Jeremy and Rich didn’t show up for the whole week, not even Sebastian made an appearance. Michael had to survive off of coffee and slushies to keep him awake all day, which got Christine to hit him gently with a folder and give him a stern talking. They were all nervous for Saturday, that was something that they couldn’t shake. They were walking into a fight they knew they couldn’t win, but a fight they could try to win. 

The afternoon of homecoming, Michael was wearing his suit and walking around the house. He wanted to get used to the feeling of a suit, since the last time he wore one, it was for Jeremy.

“Michael, take it off. You’re gonna dirty it.” His mother said with hands on her hips.

“I’ve never dirtied my suits mama, I’m pretty damn clean.” Michael says, smiling at her. 

“Have you smelled your hoodie, it smells everytime I go near it.” She tells him, and Michael groans. He walks upstairs to his room, leaving his mother's alone. 

“You’re a little harsh, Emilia.” Michael’s Nanay says, giggling. Her partner gives her a stern look. 

“I don’t want him to mess up that nice suit, it’s a gorgeous suit.” Emilia says, then smiles. “Remember when we went to homecoming, Tala?”

“How can I forget? You looked gorgeous in that pink dress of yours.  Gulat.” Tala said, causing Emilia to blush. 

“Calla tu boca.” Emilia says, causing Tala to smile. Both learned each other's native languages years ago, right before their wedding. They made sure to pass it on to their son, who is just as fluent as them.

Michael walks back downstairs wearing shorts and a t-shirt with a happy face on it. His mother's smile and he pouts. 

“When are the rest of your friends coming?” 

“Not for another couple hours.” He tells his Nanay, playing with the hem of his shirt. He walks toward the basement, starting to hum.

“Wait, eat first before you play.” His mother says. “No need to play on an empty stomach.”

“Fine.” Michael says, trudging into the kitchen. He opens the fridge and takes out an apple, holding it up for them to see. He takes a bite. “I ate.”

“You’re just something else.” His Nanay says, giggling. His mother was giving him a stern look, one that just shouts ‘Don’t play this game now.’ 

“Eat cereal or how about the eggs I made?” Emilia says, crossing her arms. Michael thinks, then nods. He grabs a box of cereal, putting it on the counter. His Nanay laughs while his mother gives him a playful glare.

“What? You said cereal or eggs.” He says, smiling. 

“Eres imposible.” She says to him, and he chuckles as he puts a bowl and a spoon on the counter. He takes out the milk and places it on the counter last, smiling at his mother.

“Sí, pero soy tu hijo imposible!” He yells, and he poses to her as if he were charming her. She shakes her head, letting out a laugh as well. He sits down and pours his cereal. 

The small family eat in silence as they think about the day ahead. Michael thinks about the dance, about seeing Jeremy with that monster of a guy. Knowing that Jeremy should be with someone better. With him.

Once he’s done eating, he places his bowl in the sink and heads down to the basement, giving both of his mother's a kiss on the cheek before he does. He looks at his setup, his Nintendo Switch just staring at him. He shakes his head, putting the device on his beanbag. He moves toward his set up, switching out the console with his computer. He logs in and quickly finds Sebastian’s computer. 

He watches the tv screen light up from the livefeed, watching as it showed Rich wearing nothing but dress pants. He was sitting on the couch, humming. He seemed to be scrolling through his phone. Michael let out a sigh of relief. The whole week, Sebastian had seemed to keep his computer off. Michael had a hard time sleeping every night for the whole week, since he didn’t know if Jeremy was more hurt or. Worse. 

“Hey Rich.” Michael hears the soft voice of his best friend as he walks into view. He seemed to have more bruises on his body, which made Michael flinch. Jeremy was wearing boxers and a binder, and his hear was messy. He didn’t look good, and honestly, neither did Rich.

“What sup Jer?” Rich asks, standing up. 

“You’re good with makeup, right?” Jeremy asks, and Rich nods. He smiles proudly.

“Hell yea, you know I’m amazing. Chloe and Brooke taught me everything I know.” He tells the taller boy.

“Great, I was wondering if you could help cover the bruises on my face.” Jeremy said, looking down.

“Hey, of course. Come sit, I’ll grab the makeup.” Rich said, getting up and bounding out of view. He leaves just in time for Sebastian to make an appearance on the screen. Michael leans forward a bit, glaring at Sebastian, even though he knows he can’t see him.

“Makeup?” Sebastian asks.

“Yea, I thought you’d be happy with me…” Jeremy pauses, trying not to stutter. “Going without anyone seeing the bruises.”

“Yeah, actually, that’s a smart idea.” Sebastian smiles, which Michael doesn’t see. He walks over to Jeremy and places a soft kiss to Jeremy’s forehead. “After tonight, that whole school is going to be ours.”

“Depends on how many actually buy the Squip.” Rich says, back in view and taking the spot next to Jeremy. Rich looks at the makeup, then at Jeremy. 

“What do you mean?” Sebastian asks him, frowning a bit.

“A lot of the kids tend to be good kids, sure there’s bad ones, but good outweigh the bad.” Rich said. “And all of the kids on the good side most likely have never even smoked weed before.”

“Well, I’m gonna make them take it.” Sebastian says.

“No, no mind manipulation. It could cause a scene, especially if someone sees you.” Rich says, starting to apply makeup to Jeremy’s face. 

“Ugh, you guys are boring.” 

“We gotta play by the normal rules, no powers. You said it yourself.” Rich said, hand shaking a bit. He pulls it away from Jeremy’s face, taking a deep breath to make the shaking stop. 

“Fine, what time does it start?” 

“7.”

“7? That’s not for another couple hours, why are you doing his makeup now?”

“Perfection doesn’t waste time.” Rich said, and Sebastian shakes his head, walking out of the room. Rich continues with the makeup in silence. Michael turns off the tv, sitting in Jeremy’s beanbag. He sighs, leaning back. He runs a hand through his hair, pulling it a bit. 

He wished this was all a dream. 

 

5:30 is when his friends start showing up, Jake being the first one. He’s holding his suit, having it still in its bag. 

“You know, you didn’t have to change here.” Michael tells him, walking with Jake to his room. Jake shrugs. 

“I didn’t want it to get dirty on the way here.” Jake says, laying the suit on Michael’s bed. Michael just nods, understanding the decision. 

“You look dead.” Jake said, looking at Michael.

“I’m surprise you don’t look dead also.” Michael says, showing a small smile. “Your boyfriend is going with another man, not only that but he’s hurt.”

“We should’ve just gone after him during the week, it would’ve been smart.” Jake says, crossing his arms.

“Nope, no. You see, we have no idea how strong this guy is. We can’t just run into a fight blind, Jake.” Michael says sternly, then sighs. He holds out his arms, and Jake gives him an odd look.

“What are you doing?” 

“You’re hurting, even I can see that.” Michael said, stepping closer to Jake. “You need a hug, we both do.” 

Jake doesn’t say anything, but does end up hugging Michael. Both boys let out a quiet sigh as they hold onto the other, having a feeling that if they let go something could happen. That they’d lose another friend. 

“Well, this is pretty gay. You want us to wait downstairs.” Chloe said, causing the two boys to jump away from each other and stare at her. Her and Brooke just giggle at their reaction. 

“Yes, please.” Michael said, wrapping his arms around Jake’s waist. “We’re gonna have hot sex.”

“Jesus.” Chloe says, walking back downstairs. Michael and Jake chuckle, Jake with a blush on his face. 

The four teens eventually just settle in the basement. Michael had hooked up his console an hour before, so Brooke and Jake found themselves playing Smash Bros while Chloe painted Michael’s nails. 

“Red is such a great color on you, no wonder it’s your favorite.” Chloe says, finishing his left hand. Michael smiles. 

“You should see Jeremy whenever he paints his nails blue. It’s so nice, and he uses baby blue. It’s a nice color for him, matches his eyes.” Michael says, looking at his painted nails. 

“Any kind of blue is good on him honestly.” Chloe says. “I once did his makeup, and let me tell you. That boy looks handsome with blue eyeshadow.”

Michael hugs Chloe, being careful with his nails.

“Thanks Chloe.” 

“No problem, Michael.” She says, patting his back. They both turn when they hear Jake yell at Brooke about cheating, and Brooke just laughing.

When Christine and Jenna show up 30 minutes later, it’s around 6:20. Everyone starts getting ready, Michael helping Jake with his tie. Jake and Michael help the girls with their makeup, all the while Michael’s moms help with the hair. 

Everyone is ready around 6:45, so they’re about to leave when Michael’s moms stop them.

“We need pictures.” Tala says, smiling and holding up her phone. Michael groans.

“Nanay, please. No pictures.”

“Pictures!” Christine yells, smiling. Everyone giggles at her reaction, and just pose for the picture quickly. Once that’s over, Michael kisses both of his moms on their cheeks, then leaves with the rest of his friends. 

As he stares at his car, a sudden realization crosses him.

“We will not all fit in my car.” He says, rubbing his neck. 

“What if we go get my truck from my place, it’s only two blocks away.” Jake says. Michael thinks for a second, then nods. 

“I can speed you to your house.” Michael suggests. “Then we drive back here together and regroup. Take two cars.”

“I can only fit one more person in my truck.” Jake says.

“I’ll go with you then, Jake.” Christine offers. “Everyone else can go in Michael’s car.”

“Alright, it’s a plan. Jake, get on my back.” Michael says, giving his back to Jake. Jake hesitates, then gets on Michael’s back. “Now, hold on.”

With that, they speed off. To Jake, it feels weird getting home that quickly. To Michael, it’s common. Jake heads inside his house quickly, getting his keys and coming back out all in 2 minutes. He gets in his truck, which is a busted up pickup that his dad had, that was now his. Michael gets in on the passenger side, checking his glasses as Jake drives them back to his place. Michael sees that there’s a small crack by the edge of his right lense, making him flinch slightly. Another pair, almost ruined. He can’t speed again unless he wants broken glasses.

“We’re here.” Jake says, nudging Michael slightly. Michael just nods and gets out quickly. He pulls out his keys and walks over to his car as Christine gets into Jake’s pickup, humming a tune. He unlocks the doors, getting into the driver's side as the girls also got into his car. As he drives, he hopes Sebastian hasn’t started his plan. He hopes Jeremy is safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Chapter 8 may not be up till Sunday or Monday, so please bare with me. I hope this chapter was fine, I know it was short so forgive me. 
> 
> I also wanted to say to the readers that have been following since the first chapter came out, I deleted the original chapter 5. It was terrible, honestly it gave me mixed emotions. I hated writing it and I'm sorry to people who felt sick about it, I don't blame you. I got sick. So, the plan is that there will be a chapter about Jeremy's bar mitzvah, but it'll end different this time. I promise. I'm gonna rewrite that whole awful chapter and bring it in later. Probably chapter 10. We're honestly probably close to the end though, depending on how long I write the others and how much of the action I put in each chapter. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for sticking around. sorry again for that awkward and ugh chapter 5, and enjoy your day.
> 
> Also, i used google translate and an english to tagalog translator so please tell me if i got something wrong.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dance, drama, and kidnappings (but does it count if its your friends?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm uploading this during class, cool. Enjoy this chapter.
> 
> TW: abuse, sexual harassment (Tell me if I should add more)

Sebastian grabbed his car keys, ready to leave for the dance. 

“Wait, Rich is looking for his tie.” Jeremy says, messing with his own tie. Both teens were wearing blue tuxes, except Jeremy had a baby blue while Sebastian had neon blue. 

“Well, he’s taking forever. We should be on our way there already.” Sebastian said as he slaps Jeremy’s hand. “And stop that.”

“Sorry.” Jeremy says quickly, putting his hands down. Sebastian grabs Jeremy by his wrist, squeezing it a bit as he brought the smaller boy closer. He kisses Jeremy softly, Jeremy not even kissing back. Sebastian uses his free hand to force Jeremy to kiss him back. Jeremy whines a bit from the pressure, shoving Sebastian. The taller of the two let's go, frowning. Rich enters the room, now having his tie on.

“Alright, let's hit the road.” Rich said, looking at the two. Jeremy doesn’t say anything when Sebastian sighs and clicks his tongue. 

They get to the school within 30 minutes, and it was officially dark outside. 7:10 PM was the time, 10 minutes gone but they still had a few hours to do what they wanted. 

“Rich, give me my bag.” Sebastian says, reaching his hand back and grabbing the small bag that Rich hands him. Inside the bag was pills, Squips. They get out of the car, Sebastian pocketing the bag. They walk up to the doors, showing their school ids to the security there. 

When inside, all three boys are surprised with the outcome. It’s packed. Sebastian smirks, while Jeremy and Rich glance at each other. Sebastian starts making his moves, walking over to a few students. He shows them the pills, and he ends up giving it to them. The kids each swallow a pill, and Sebastian just smiles as they drink the green soda that goes with it. Jeremy and Rich can only watch in horror as their fellow classmates get Equipped.

Out on the dance floor, was Michael and the others. They were swaying a bit with the music, but mostly trying to blend in while they looked for Sebastian, Jeremy, or Rich. 

“Ay, Mikey!!” They hear someone yell, and are greeted with Dustin Kropp wearing a t-shirt with the design of a tux on it, with cargo shorts and combat boots. He also had a snapback hat on with an alien face on it. 

“Dustin, what’re you wearing?” Jake asks, smiling at his friends outfit.

“It’s my ‘I don’t give a fuck about dress codes’ suit. Nifty huh?” Dustin asks, smiling wide. Christine giggles at her cousin.

“Hey, have you seen-” Michael starts, but gets cut off.

“What’re you doing here, Mike? I thought you hated parties.” Dustin says, drinking from one of the plastic cups they have for the punch. 

“Here for a friend.” Michael says. “Have you seen Jeremy or Rich?”

“Yea, I just saw them get here with that creepy looking guy.” Dustin says.

“Alright, have they done anything suspicious?”

“Yeah, creepy guy has been giving people pills. Fucker is taking my job.” Dustin said, crossing his arm angrily. “What a dickhead.”

“That guy, Sebastian, how many has he given out?”

“I don’t know, but plenty of people have taken some already.” Dustin said. “They’ve been in here for only a couple minutes. Why don’t my shit sell like that?” 

“Dustin, don’t take any of those pills, you hear me? They’re dangerous.” Christine butts in, standing in front of her cousin. “I don’t want you to be under that monster’s control.”

“Wait, what?”

“The pills are computers that control you. Help him control you without using his mind manipulation, and we have no idea how to shut it off.” Michael says, then sees a familiar face in the crowd. He runs from his friends, heading to Jeremy. 

“Michael!” He hears, but it’s from behind him. Ignore it, go to Jeremy. And he does. He reaches Jeremy, grabbing the boy’s hands. Jeremy stares at him, trying to form words but he can’t.

“Jeremy, listen to me!” He shouts over the music, which sounds louder in his ears. “I need to know how to shut it off!” 

Jeremy glances to the side, staring at the wall. 

“Jeremy, come on!” Michael yells. “Give me something!” 

Jeremy turns his head away from the red wall, then turns back to it. Michael pays attention to it.

“Red?” Jeremy nods slowly, turning back to face Michael. Jeremy’s eyes slowly glow blue, and Michael could feel heat rise. Jeremy’s gonna shock him.

“Dew.” Jeremy says, then pushes him away, shaking and flinching violently. He screams a bit, staring at the ceiling. How is no one noticing this?

Jeremy runs off, and Michael is left on the ground thinking. Red. Dew. Red Dew. Red Dew. RED DEW!

“Mountain Dew Red!” Michael yells, and gets up, feeling Dustin helping him up. “We need Mountain Dew Red!”

“Where we gonna get it?” Jenna asks.

“Yeah, wasn’t it discontinued in the 90’s?” Brooke asks, and Michael nods. He smirks. 

“I have a hookup at Spencer's Gifts!  He always get’s me discontinued drinks, he should have Red!” Michael yells. “First, we need Jeremy and Rich.”

“But Sebastian has them under his control, how do we get them?” Chloe asks.

“We’re gonna have to fight them, then get Sebastian.” Jake says.

“Sebastian is still stronger, but we might be able to defeat him with Red. He has a Squip too, so it’ll take away his power.” Michael says. 

“Do you need me?” Dustin asks. “Ice and water could come in handy.”

“Hell yea, we need you dude.” Jake tells him, patting Dustin’s back. “We all need to do this.” 

“Tonight.” Michael says. “We take him down tonight.”

“Alright, now let’s go get our boys.”

 

Rich was in the bathroom washing his face. He had his Squip shut down for a bit to give him space, and give him quietness. Of course his Squip objected at first, but it did it anyway. Rich flinched a bit when the door opens, hoping it wasn’t Sebastian. It wasn’t.

“Hey.” Jake says quietly with his hands in his pockets. “So, how’s the dance?”

“Not much honestly, but it is some stupid dance.” Rich says, looking at Jake in the mirror. Jake holds a hand out, giving a small smile. 

“Maybe I can dance with you? I miss holding you close.” Jake says softly, and Rich felt his heart melt. He wanted to say yes, he wanted to dance with Jake as if it was the end of the world. He kinda felt like maybe it was the end. 

“I miss that too, but I don’t think I can.” Rich says, but turns to face Jake. Rich holds out his hand as well, grabbing Jake’s softly, as if he could break it if he grabbed too tightly.

“We can dance here, in this empty bathroom, to the quiet sounds out there.” Jake says, pulling Rich towards him slowly. Rich smiles at the thought, but is slowly reminded of Sebastian and his plans, how he’ll catch on. 

“We can’t Jake.” Rich says, letting go of Jake quickly. Behind Jake, the Squip appears, looking at him angrily. 

_ Leave him. Burn him. Make him understand you have work to do. _

No. I can’t do that to Jake. I love him. 

_ And yet, here you are. I’m done with these games. My turn. _

Wait-

Rich’s head flies back, and Jake steps back. He’s afraid Rich’s neck snapped with how forceful that looked, but is surprised when Rich’s head goes back down. His chin touching his chest.

“Rich?” Jake said as he reached a hand forward. Rich looks up at him, letting out a dark chuckle. His eyes shined a neon blue, a blue he knew someone else was wearing. No coincidence there. 

Jake is caught off guard, surprised when Rich lands a punch on his cheek. Rich grabs his shoulders, bringing him down to knee him in the face. Jake holds his nose as Rich starts to walk off. Jake decides to make his move as blood slowly flows out of his nose. He grabs Rich from behind, putting him in a chokehold. Rich struggles against him, and Jake could feel heat radiate from Rich. Soon, Rich is limp in his arms, so Jake let's go. He picks up Rich, carrying him over his shoulder. He walks out of the bathroom, walking to the exit. 

Someone asks him what happens, and he just says ‘too much punch’. They walk out without a hitch. 

Somewhere else, a hallway is empty except for two students against the lockers. One trying to push away the other as they ‘make out’. 

“Sebastian, cut it out!” Jeremy yells, shoving Sebastian hard. Sebastian chuckles, wiping his mouth

“Come on Jeremy, don’t make me force you.”

“You are forcing me! I’m saying no and you’re still trying to shove your tongue down my throat.” Jeremy states, then feels a hand wrap around his neck. He stares at Sebastian as he moves a hand down towards Jeremy’s pants. Jeremy whines, tears falling. Stop stop stop.

“You’re no fun.” Sebastian let’s go, shrugging his shoulders. He turns.

“Where are you going?” Jeremy asks, rubbing his neck.

“To get rid of the rest of these Squips, I’ll be back in 5.” Sebastian steps close to Jeremy, smirking. “Please be more willing when I come back.” 

He walks away, leaving Jeremy alone. Jeremy slowly sinks to the ground, letting out quiet sobs. He hears footsteps, and looks up at Michael.

“You wanna talk or are you just gonna shove me again?” Michael asks, hands in his pockets. Jeremy flinches from the shock, shaking his head. Michael crouches down in front of Jeremy, wiping away a tear. 

“The Squip won’t let me answer.” Jeremy says quietly. He flinches again from another shock. “It hates when I do this.”

“I hate it. Why did you take it?”

“I don’t know. I don’t k-know.” Jeremy flinches again, letting out a small shriek.

“I can help you, I can get some Red. Just please, come with me.” Michael stands up, holding out a hand. Jeremy slowly stands up without taking Michael’s hand, holding his head.

“Get away Michael.” He says, and Michael nods slowly. He looks into Jeremy’s neon eyes.

“You’re strong Jeremy, you have the powers of electricity, and you can control technology. Beat this stupid, floppy disk. Destroy it.” Jeremy shakes his head again, holding his head as he groans. He looks angry, Michael taking this as a sign to take his hands out of his pockets. 

“You’re a stupid boy, Mell. You should’ve just joined us, you should’ve followed.” Jeremy says, sounding different. He sounded like he had a hand over his neck that pressed a bit. He didn’t sound like Jeremy.

“I don’t follow anything, just my own stupidity.” Michael says, giving a small smile as he stepped back.

“Well, now you’re gonna die by your friend’s own two hands. How does that feel?” The not-Jeremy voice said. “I’m gonna leave your blood all over this floor.”

“Gonna have to kill me first.” Michael said, and grabs Jeremy’s wrist as he tried to throw a hook. Michael twists it, making Jeremy whimper from the pain.

It’s the computer, but it’s also Jeremy. Be careful.

Michael brings his free hand up, and punches Jeremy square in the face. The boy automatically falls back, knocked out from the one punch. 

“Jeremy could never beat me in a fight, and he never will. Even with you inside.” Michael says to the unconscious boy. He picks him up bridal style, rushing to the back entrance of the school. When he’s outside, looks down at Jeremy in his arms. 

“Someday you’ll beat me. That was rude to say.” Michael says as he continues running to where he parked his car. Jake is getting Rich into his pickup, stretching once he’s done. Dustin and the girls are having a heated conversation about hot people in their school.

“Jesus, all yall ladies need to think. That Scott kid in my math class has such a nice ass, like I’d totally smash.” Dustin says, and that earns him a smack on the arm from Chloe.

“He’s not hot, he’s far from hot.”

“No he’s not, he’s a total smash.”

“Guys, now is not the time.” Jake says.

“Don’t look at me, Chloe started it.” Christine said as she got into Michael’s car. Jenna and Brooke shrug as they also get into the car. Chloe and Dustin are glaring at each other as they slowly walk away from each other, Chloe also getting into Michael’s car. 

“Whoa whoa, someone has to ride with Dustin.” 

“I walked here.” Dustin says.

“Who walks to Homecoming?”

Someone who doesn’t wear formal clothes.” 

Michael groans, then looks at Chloe. 

“I can’t believe I’m gonna say this. I need you to drive my car.” Michael says, then turns to Dustin. “And you, get on the pickup. You’re gonna be it’s cargo or whatever.”

“Awesome.” Dustin says, hopping up on the back of the truck. 

“Alright, we’ll regroup at my place and-”

“Where do you think you’re going?” They hear someone shout, and turn to see an angry Sebastian. Michael pats the truck, walking toward Sebastian.

“Away from you.” Michael says. Dustin stands up slowly. Sebastian sighs, then chuckles. 

“You amuse me.” Sebastian said, then cracks his knuckles. “You also piss me off.”

“You mostly just piss me off.” Michael says, then smirks. Sebastian takes a deep breath as flames appear on one hand, the other hand having sparks of electricity. Michael runs toward him, dodging his punches as he tackles him to the ground. Once Sebastian was down, Jake and Chloe start driving away, Michael staying behind to fight Sebastian. Sebastian shoves him hard, sending Michael flying and hitting Jake’s truck. 

“Dude!” Jake yells.

“He has fucking super strength?!” Michael shouts, standing up slowly. “Sorry bout the car.”

“Dustin, ice him!” Chloe shouts from Michael’s car, and Dustin does that. He stands up in the pickup, then takes a huge breath in, holding it. Sebastian chuckles darkly as he dashes toward the truck. Jake steps down hard on the accelerator as Dustin blows out icy air that makes the road slipper. He grabs Michael as they drive off, watching as Sebastian slips and slides down the road, face down. He uses his flames to melt it, standing up and watching the teens drive off. He glares as Michael stands up and gives him the finger, laughing loudly as they made their getaway. 

Sebastian rushes back into the school as Michael wraps an arm around Dustin’s shoulders. The teens yell and laugh at this little victory, but they know it isn’t over yet. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone mentioned how their favorite fics usually take forever (weeks, months) to update, while I kinda update fast. To that I want to say that the reason I've been doing that is because I would literally be two chapters ahead of the one I put up. Like when I put up chapter 1 for this story, I already had up to 7 chapters written up because I was writing it for a while. Up til now, I was always up by two chapters. as of now, it may take longer since I don't have any chapter after this started since I just finished this. It's usually easy since I already know what's gonna happen in the next chapters, how it's gonna end, etc. I thought about the ending in the shower, like I'm always planning up things for this story.
> 
> Also, to Qistiko. the OG Chapter 5 was the one that made you uncomfortable, and to that I'm sorry it did make you feel that way. I am glad that you're liking the story. and honestly I like your comments and everyone's comments.
> 
> I'm gonna end this with if you have a lot to say about the story or about a character, please comment. You could put a whole essay in the comments and I'd be so grateful for it, I love all the responses I get for this story that I'm putting so much time into. And to that I say thank you all so much for the comments I've gotten so far, and I'm excited for more I might get in the future. 
> 
> Alright, thank you all. Have a good day/good night!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yelling, Red, and a JD type plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy this chapter, it's short so sorry about that. It's like really short, but the next chapter will be longer, promise. 
> 
> TW: seizures, transphobia, misgendering (Tell me if I should add more)

When they get back to Michael’s place, Jake and Michael carry the unconscious boy’s down to the basement. They grab rope and chairs, tying up the boys.

“So, why are they being tied up? We gonna torture them or something?” Dustin asks.

“It’s because the Squip is still in control.” Christine says.

“They’re gonna be tied up till I get the Red from my hookup, which should be in 20 minutes.” Michael adds, tapping his foot. He ran a hand through his hair as he looked at Jeremy, his best friend. His best friend whose makeup was messed up, so he could see the dark colors of bruises. He slowly, but softly, touches the bruise on Jeremy’s cheek. Jeremy groans at the contact, but leans into it a bit, making a pained expression. 

“You should see if you can get the Red quicker, you have super fucking speed for Christ’s sake.” Dustin says, getting close to Michael.

“He’s got a point, maybe you can go get it now Michael.” Jenna says, tapping away on her phone.

“Jenna, is now really the time to tweet?” Brooke asks. “We have a problem here.”

“Yeah, and it just got worse.” Jenna says, then turns her phone around so everyone can see. It’s a video of a couple kids seizing on a gym floor, rolling around and screaming. She then scrolls and shows how all of the students that were seizing left immediately after.  

“They got Squipped.” Christine said, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth. All the teens were shocked with what they were watching. 

“It’s too late.” They hear someone say behind them, turning to see Jeremy staring at them with the neon eyes. He was slowly struggling against the ropes. “He’s going on to his next phase.”

“What phase?” Michael asks, stepping toward his friend. 

“The phase where people perish.” He giggles darkly. “People are gonna die and you won’t be able to stop him.”

“We could kill you, we know how to.” Jake says, and Jeremy just giggles more.

“To kill me, you’d have to kill Jeremy. The Mountain Dew Red will shut me off, but the second he drinks Mountain Dew, I’ll be back.” Jeremy smiles evilly. “Besides, the second Sebastian completes this phase, you won’t have anyone to fall back on.”

“What do you mean?” Michael asks.

“Your moms work with the government, right? Super Forces, like Special Forces but with all Supers, right?”

“I-”

“You see Michael, if you don’t act. They can die.” Jeremy says. “And how would you be able to look at Joana again, knowing that she was responsible for your parents death. Knowing that the girl you love so much is a monster.”

Michael grabs Jeremy by the collar of his shirt, bringing his fist back. Jeremy stops smiling, instead showing the expression of a scared boy. Michael puts his other hand on Jeremy’s collar, bringing him closer. Christine is about to grab him, but then he starts talking.

“You listen here you Nintendo ripoff.  _ His  _ name is Jeremy. Jeremiah William Heere. Joana isn’t around anymore, she died 4 years ago. She left in her wake a bright young man.” Michael glares into Jeremy’s eyes as the doorbell upstairs rings. Dustin and Jake run up to get it. “He is my best friend, always has been and always will. And if there’s one thing I hate, it's people being transphobic and rude to my best friend.”

Dustin runs down with a liter of Red soda in his arms.

“You’re gonna have to force me to drink it, which could end up choking Jeremy.” The Squip says, chuckling. Michael lets go of him, holding out his hand. Dustin hands him the liter of soda, Jake walking downstairs with another liter. Michael opens the bottle, taking a large sip. 

“Michael-” Michael holds up a finger to Brooke.

_ Me and you. _ Michael thinks in his head, staring at his friend.  _ Me and you.  _

Michael cups Jeremy’s cheeks, then leans in. He kisses his friend softly, making Jeremy open his mouth slowly. Michael pulls away, watching as Jeremy’s smirking face turned into a face filled with pain. He struggled against the ropes as he shook in his seat. 

Jake grabs the opened liter from Michael, walking over to Rich. He opens it and thinks about how he wants to do this. He sighs as he slowly brings it up to Rich’s lips, using his free hand to open Rich’s mouth slightly. Rich awoke coughing, swallowing the liquid. Jake stepped back as Rich let out a loud scream. Jeremy did the same. 

“Oh fuck!” Dustin yells as he covers his ears. Everyone did the same as they watched their friends shake and scream in their chairs. And soon, it was silent. 

 

Elsewhere, Sebastian rushes into his apartment. He’s angry with the outcome, he’s angry that he lost his two best subjects. Right now, he has to continue his plan. 

“Did the Squips activate yet?!” he yells, turning to his Squip, who gives him a look with no emotion. 

“Yes, they’re coming here.” 

“No, not here. Send them to the building down the street, the empty one.” Sebastian says. He walks toward his computer, logging on and was about to pull up something when the Squip made him turn. He was about to say something, but then grabbed his chest as he felt pain flow through his body. He felt like he couldn’t breathe, he was shaking as he sunk to the ground. He slowly crawls over to the couch, blood dripping from his nose. He stops, throwing up. 

The pain leaves, and Sebastian just lays down on the ground. He gasps for air, breathing quickly. He holds back his tears as he slowly sits up.

“We’ve lost Jeremy and Rich. Seems like the others found out how to turn them off.” His Squip says, and this causes him to stand up slowly. 

“We have to do this tonight.”

“You are in no condition, if you go out there and fight. There’s a probability you’ll die, also one where you just lose, one where you win. Either way, they could deactivate me next. And if they take me away, the rest of the Squips will fail also and shut off with me.”

“Make me better, let me walk and let me finish this.” 

“Fine.”

Sebastian relaxes as the pain lifts from his body, and he stretches. He heads to his room, picking up the whole mattress. He tosses it, revealing wires and explosives under. He chuckles darkly, grabbing duffle bags he kept in his closet. He starts stuffing them with the explosives, starting to tie some wires. 

He puts the bags by the front door, slowly getting undressed. Once down to his boxers, he puts on a new set of clothes. He puts on black, fingerless gloves. He puts on a back t-shirt with lines running around it as if it was coding. He puts on body armor he stole from a gun shop weeks ago, preparing for this night. He pats it once it’s on securely. He puts on an overcoat, then puts a belt on his skinny jeans. He ties up his combat boots, grabbing keys to the fan he kept in the empty building down the road. He looks around at his apartment, thinking about the day he moved in. The day his parents left. The day he swallowed those pills. The day he started working on the Squip. 

He picks up the bags of explosives, saying goodbye to his home as he closes the door behind him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian gonna be JD up in this story, yay. Anyway, Sebastian does have many powers and I'm gonna explain why to you guys. Not really spoilers, cuz this was mentioned chapters ago. 
> 
> So, when Sebastian created Squips, he made them so not only do they help you 'be more chill', he also made it so they can literally make you a powerful person. The Squips can tap into your body any way they can, which means they can give you powers that you haven't developed yet. In this au, as you grow up, you start unlocking more and more powers as you move through your life. Some teens will end up with 2 powers because they're early when it comes to developing. Sebastian has been testing himself with all these different prototypes of the Squips, and he literally is a walking time bomb (no pun intended to the ending of this chapter) 
> 
> He has electricity, fire, strength, and he has two more powers that won't be showed till the end. 5 powers in total, and you only know 3. Honestly, yall can probably guess on the two other powers, since they're kinda common I guess with superpowers and such. 
> 
> Another thing, this was gonna end in an entirely different way, but now he's gonna go blow up the Super Forces building. Or does he? Idk, see you later!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A redo of the Bar Mitzvah flashback, our squad is back together and ready to kick ass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, so the beginning of this chapter starts off the same as the original chapter 5, but of course I changed the rest. I hope this is better than how it was before.

Michael remembers putting on his tie and messing it up. He was anxious to say the least, or maybe just nervous for Jeremy. Today was his Bat Mitzvah. No, Bar mitzvah. Jeremy’s dad already told Michael the plan to bring a suit for Jeremy for his special day, and Michael was scared with what could happen. His mom isn’t really. Great.

“Michael, sweetie, are you ready to go?” His Nanay asked, sticking her head into the room. She smiles at his outfit, and giggles when she sees he’s messing with his tie. She moves forward and grabs the tie, doing it for him. 

“Nanay, why is Jeremy’s mom rude to him?” Michael asks his mother, who is shocked by the sudden question. 

“Well, some people don’t believe in the same things we do, like equality or rights for all.” His Nanay explained. “Sometimes, you have to deal with it.”

“Why does Jeremy deal with it?” Michael asks, and his Nanay gives him a sad look. 

“I don’t know, anak.” she says, smiling at the tie. Michael picked out a Legend of Zelda tie, and a red button up. He always loved red.

“Do I look ok?” He asks, adjusting his hair a bit.

“You look fine, and I think Jeremy will agree too.” She says, causing him to bush at the statement. He grabs the jacket for the suit, putting it on and smiling at his reflection. He looked handsome, and his mother stood proud. 

“Alright, you have Jeremy’s suit?” She asks, and he nods, holding up a bag. He holds up a present also.

“And his present. He’s gonna love all of this mom.” Michael says, smiling a bright smile. His other mom comes into the room, both mothers wearing blue dresses to correspond with each other. He bounds over to his mom, hugging her tightly. 

“Let’s get going, we don’t want to be late.” His mother tells him, her and her wife heading out of the room and downstairs. Michael is about to leave, but heads back to his bed to grab his phone and headphones, since it’s gonna be packed. 

He bounds down the stairs, holding the bag with Jeremy’s suit and, now, his present. He exits the house first, his Nanay being the last one to walk out so she can lock the door. 

A couple hours later, after the ceremony and after Michael gave his present to Jeremy, the music soared. The two boys, however, sat to the side playing on Jeremy’s DS. They start talking about what Pokemon Jeremy should use in his next battle, when his mom comes over and snatches it away.

“Mom!” Jeremy yells, but the music is loud enough that his yelling isn’t even that loud. His mom looks pissed, and he backs down a bit.

“What happened to the dress?” His mom asked, frowning. Jeremy froze, looking down.

“In the dressing room.” Jeremy tells her. “I-It’s in t-the dressing room.” 

“Joana, this isn’t you.” His mother says, crossing her arms. Jeremy backs away more, hugging himself. Michael stood in front of his friend.

“Jeremy.” Michael states, crossing his arms like Mrs. Heere did. “His name is Jeremy, and if you don’t like this, then too bad.  _ He’s _ your child.”

“Back out of this Michael, don’t you want her to be normal?” Mrs. Heere said, glaring at the smaller teen.

“He is normal, there’s nothing wrong with him. He’s Jeremy, and if he wants to be Jeremy then I’m there for him.” Michael said. “He’s my best friend, and you’re his mother. Mother’s support their kids.”

“You’re gonna burn in hell.” Mrs. Heere said, then walks away. Michael turns around to see that Jeremy is gone, causing him to look around. He pulls on his headphones as he starts moving through the crowd slowly, anxiety rising. He reaches the other side of the room, still no jeremy. He heads back to the dressing room, and is stopped by talking. He opens the door slowly, stepping in and closing it behind him slowly. The talking continues, and he listens in.

“Joana, this isn’t you.” He hears Mrs. Heere say, and anger boils inside him.

“Go away…” Jeremy says in a soft tone, and Michael can hear the sniffles. He wants to step in, but he feels frozen.

“You can’t do this, I’m your mother and you listen to me!” She screams and Michael could hear a smack, Jeremy squeaking at a contact. Jeremy starts screaming and all of a sudden, it sounds like struggling. Michael is about to step in when he notices the lights start to flicker. 

“Let go!” Jeremy yells, and Michael steps in to see Mrs. Heere hit Jeremy again. 

“You are such a disgrace! I wish you were never born!” She yells and all of a sudden, the lights all burst. The emergency lights turn on and Michael sees this as a time to push Mrs. Heere off Jeremy. He grabs Jeremy, but gets electrocuted. He shakes at the shock, but doesn’t let go of Jeremy. Instead, he wraps his arms around the screaming and crying boy, picking him up and using his speed to get them to the bathroom in seconds. He sits on the floor of the bathroom, holding Jeremy close as electricity flows out of him. He’s surprised when it stops, causing him to breath heavily and loosen his grip on the smaller boy in his arms. Jeremy is sobbing, shaking and breathing hard. 

“Jeremy, I’m here. It’s ok. I’m here. I’m here.” Michael said, rocking Jeremy back and forth as he whispers soothing things to the crying boy. It takes Jeremy a while to calm down, and when he does, he feels limp in Michael’s arm.

“My head hurts.” Jeremy says softly, leaning back into Michael. Michael places a kiss on Jeremy’s head, holding Jeremy as if he would disappear if he lets go of the small boy. 

“You got your power Jeremy, your first power.” Michael tells him, letting out a small chuckle. “I’m sorry you had to get it under terrible circumstances.”

“I-It’s ok Mikey.” Jeremy says, then tilts his head up to look at Michael. “Can I sleepover tonight? We can play Legend of Zelda.”

“I was thinking about Pokemon, but it’s your birthday.” Michael says, and both boys let out small laughs. Jeremy stands up slowly, stumbling a bit. Michael wraps his arm around Jeremy’s waist, and puts Jeremy’s arms around his neck. They slowly leave the bathroom, finding that Jeremy’s family members were able to keep the music on. He smiles at that, looking down at Jeremy.

“Wanna dance, or are you too weak for that?” Michael asks, and Jeremy thinks for a second. 

“Get me a glass of water and I’ll think about it.” Jeremy said, grabbing the back of an empty chair and sitting in it.

“Deal, but I might just bring you punch.” Michael says, smiling.

“Knowing my cousins, they probably spiked it.” Jeremy says, smiling back.

“All the better to drink some.” Michael proclaims and both laugh. Michael walks off, leaving Jeremy alone for a bit. The boy looks at the glass that’s all over the ground, watching as some of the janitors in the building start cleaning it up. He sighs, leaning back in his chair. He closes his eyes for a bit, then hears someone sit down next to him. He opens his eyes to see his father.

“You ok?” He asks, even though he can probably guess the answer to that.

“Could be better. Sorry about the lights.” Jeremy said and his father chuckles. 

“Don’t worry about it, son. Everyone thinks it was either a prank by a cousin or someone lost control of their powers. No one suspects you.” He said, then puts his hand on Jeremy’s shoulder. “I’m proud of you Jeremy, I’m proud of the man you’re becoming.”

“Mom isn’t.” Jeremy says.

Mr. Heere stays silent.

“Are you mad at me for this?” Jeremy asks, fear in his voice.

“No, I’m proud. I’m proud you’re being yourself, also I’m happy because I’ve always wanted a son.” Mr. Heere said, and both laugh. 

“C-Can I sleepover at Michael’s tonight?” Jeremy asks as Michael brings the punch. Mr. Heere nods, smiles. 

“Of course, now I’ll leave you boys alone.” Mr. Heere said as he stood up and left the table. Michael hands Jeremy his cup of punch, Jeremy taking it eagerly. He drinks it, pulling back and coughing. 

“Holy f-fuck, how much l-liquor did they p-p-put in?” Jeremy asks, coughing more, but going back to drinking it. 

“I think it’s Rum, but I don’t know my stuff with that.” Michael says, smiling at his best friend. They end off the night talking about Jeremy’s newfound powers, and the plan for the sleepover tonight. 

Later, they’re in Michael’s basement. They take turns playing Crash Bandicoot, Michael mostly playing. Jeremy had his tie on his head, but he just sat in his space beanbag, holding his legs close.

“Hey, you want a turn now?” Michael asks as he completes another level. Jeremy nods, holding out his hand as he let go of his legs. He starts a new level, sticking his tongue out. 

“Everything ok?” 

Jeremy continues playing.

“Jer, seriously. Are you ok?”

“I’m fine Mi-Michael.”

“That usually means not fine.” Michael said, then reaches over. He puts his hands on the remote, causing Jeremy to pause the game. “Talk to me dude. It’s just me and you here, no adults. And no lying.”

“Why does m-my mom hate me?” Jeremy asks, staring at the floor. He said it really softly, which caused Michael to lean forward a bit to hear.

“I. I don’t know Jer.”

“N-N-No one knows. No one ever fucking knows. A-All I know i-is that I make h-h-her mad a-and-”

Michael wraps his arms around Jeremy, pulling him to his chest. Jeremy doesn’t make a sound as Michael does this, stroking his hair gently.

“She’s a bitch.” Michael said, shaking his head. “Sorry.”

“You’re f-fine.”

“Listen, things are gonna get better. I promise you Jer.” Michael says. “You’re my best friend and I’m gonna make sure nothing bad ever happens to you. It’s a promise.”

“What if she leaves? Wh-wh-what if I just ruin this. R-r-r-ruin e-everything.” Jeremy says, sobbing into Michael’s chest. Michael doesn’t say anything, but places a soft kiss to Jeremy’s head. 

“You won’t. If she leaves, it’s her fault. She can’t just leave like that, so if she does. It’s all her fault.” Michael said. “And besides, my mom's love you. They accept you, and two moms are better than one after all.”

Jeremy giggles through his tears. Michael leans back in his beanbag, Jeremy laying over both his beanbag and Michael’s lap. Michael starts playing with Jeremy’s hair, which slowly helps the other teen calm down. 

“So, a-are we gonna keep pl-playing or do y-you w-w-wanna like. Go for a-a walk?” Jeremy asks quietly. 

“It’s too late for a walk, but tell you what. You can pick the next game we play.” Michael says, smiling. Jeremy smiles too, sitting up. He moves toward the games Michael had piled up, reading the game titles. Michael watches his friend, then takes out his mp3 that was probably as old as him, since it was his mother’s. He’s about to put on some 80’s rap, when Jeremy holds up Smash Bros.

“Boom, let's pl-play this!” Jeremy yells, and Michael chuckles.

“Alright, loser has to buy the other a slushie.”

“No f-f-fair, you always w-win.”

“More slushies for me.” They both laugh at that, Michael switching the song to Faith by George Michael. As the song plays, and the boys fought each other ingame, Michael kept glancing at Jeremy throughout the song, since it was a song he wanted to sing to Jeremy. No. No. Not today. No way. 

Michael and Jeremy play a couple more matches, the score between them being 5-16, Michael winning the most matches. Eventually, they just put on a movie. Michael has Jeremy pick the movie, and it’s  _ Back to the Future _ . They watch the movie in silence, Michael watching Jeremy. Jeremy still had his mother on his mind, causing him zone out from the thoughts floating. Michael slowly reaches over, touching Jeremy’s shoulder. Jeremy flinches, and a light bulb breaks. 

“S-S-Sorry!” Jeremy yells, and Michael gets up. He grabs the broom that’s in the basement, sweeping up the glass. Jeremy watches in silence, tears falling. Once Michael has thrown out the glass, he sits in front of Jeremy silently. He holds his hands out a bit, looking at Jeremy. Jeremy nods slowly, letting Michael hold his hands. Both boys blush, but don’t say anything.

“No matter what happens, I’m always gonna be here Jeremy. I promise.” Michael says, looking Jeremy in his beautiful, ocean blue eyes. Michael feels like something else could finish this off right, but he doesn’t do it. His heart flutters from the thought, and his blush gets darker. He stands up, still holding Jeremy’s hand. 

“Where are we going?” The shorter boy asks.

“We’re gonna get into our pj’s and sleep.” Michael says, leading his friend up the stairs and out of the basement. 

That night, they slept peacefully. A few weeks later, Jeremy had came back for another sleepover. He was in tears when he came over. 

“Jeremy, what happened?” Michael asked, hoping it wasn’t a bully. Because if it was, he was gonna send someone to the hospital and his mom’s would be mad.

“My m-m-mom…” Jeremy sobs. “S-She left.” 

Michael stood there in silence, then moves forward to hug his friend. When Michael moved to let go, Jeremy clutches Michael’s hoodie.

“Please, don’t let go.” Jeremy says in a soft, defeated voice. Michael didn’t let go.

 

When his eyes opened, he was met with a dark room and glow stars on the ceiling. He sits up, groaning as he does. His head felt like someone repeatedly smashed it in, and it only hit his brain without killing him. Ok, he had no idea how to describe it other than ‘HOLY FUCK, THIS HURTS!’

“Hey.” he hears a soft voice to his left, and turns to see Michael. He smiles slowly, slowly starting to laugh. Michael looked worried, reaching for the Mountain Dew Red on his desk.

“No, I-” Jeremy pauses, laughing more with tears falling. “I missed you, man.”

Michael smiles and walks over to his friend, wrapping his arms around him. They both fall back onto the bed, Jeremy hugging back but wincing from the pain in his head. Michael let's go, helping Jeremy up off the bed. He stretches and takes a deep breath.

“Did you g-get Sebastian?” Jeremy asks, and Michael shakes his head. 

“We were hoping you or Rich maybe knew what his plan was.” Michael said. 

“How long has it been since we left homecoming?” And Michael just takes out his phone and shows him. Jeremy’s eyes widen, then he moves past Michael quickly. He rushes downstairs, holding his head. He’s greeted with his friends, but holds up his hand before they say anything. Michael follows. 

“W-We have to find him.” Jeremy says, heading to the couch to sit when he see’s Rich laying there. He grabs a pillow and hits Rich, who turns and falls off the bed.

“Ow, what the fuck dude.” Rich groans.

“It’s been 2 hours, Rich!” Jeremy yells, wincing at his own voice. 

Rich sits up quickly, holding his head as well. He stands up, looking around.

“When the hell did we get here?” He asks. 

Jeremy turns to face everyone else. 

“S-Sebastian has bombs. A l-lot of them.” Jeremy says, stumbling. Michael holds out a hand to keep Jeremy on his feet.

“What is he gonna use them for?” Jenna asks. 

“The S-Super Forces building. He’s gonna blow it to the ground.” Michael froze with that info, his hand twitching. He reaches into his pocket, pulling out his phone and leaving the room. 

He calls his mom.

“What is it Michael?”

“Are you at work?” He asks immediately, with a serious tone.

“Yes, why?”

“Sebastian. He’s planning on blowing it up mom. You’re in danger, you and Nanay.” He said into the phone. 

There’s silence, then shouting and shuffling.

“Michael, don’t fight him. Especially if he has explosives.”

“But Mama. He’s powerful, but we can stop him.”

“Michael, please. I’m not gonna lose my son, not tonight.” She says sternly. “We’ll handle it.” 

She hangs up, and Michael stares at the phone. He clenches it, accidently cracking it. He pockets the phone, walking toward the others. He looks down at his clothes, noticing that everyone was still in formal wear. He chuckles lightly to himself, then gets serious. He removes his tie, walking into the room. Everyone looks at him, and he looks up. 

“My mom’s are gonna deal with him.” He says, then reads everyone’s faces. “Unless, we step in.”

“You suggesting we go against him ourselves?” Chloe asks. 

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. My moms, they want to deal with him on their own. They don’t understand how powerful he is. And they don’t even know his weakness.” Michael says. 

“And we do.” Brooke says. “Which makes us better.” She holds up her hand for a high five, getting one from Chloe. 

“Not better, but smarter than the Supers who are about to go after him.” Michael said. “Everyone, change into your normal clothes. Formal wear will hold us back.” 

“What about uth?” Rich asks, gesturing to him and Jeremy. 

“I got the perfect clothes for both of you.” Michael says, pointing upstairs.

“Honey, do I get a supersuit?” Dustin asks, smirking. Michael shakes his head, walking upstairs with Rich and Jeremy. “Honey! I need my supersuit!”

“Dustin, I will personally punch you in the face if you don’t hush.” Jenna says, walking out of the room to change. Dustin sat down on the couch, alone. He sighed, then pulled out his phone. 

Eventually, everyone was back in their everyday clothes, except for Jeremy and Rich.

Jeremy was wearing black t-shirt with an alien on the front with the words ‘I Believe’ on top of the picture. He also wore jeans and had on a blue sweater. Rich was wearing a plain, blue muscle shirt with some cargo shorts. He had on some brown combat boots that Michael grew out of, while Jeremy had blue converse he kept with Michael. 

“Mikey, when we’re in battle, how the fuck are we gonna be able to tell who’s who? Like sure, we’re wearing ‘cool’ clothes, but we should all wear something.” Dustin suggests. “Like a superhero group should have. Like supersuits!” 

“Oh my God, chill on the supersuits Dust. Listen, how bout I give you and everyone a bandana, will you be satisfied?” Michael asks, and Dustin nods, smiling. Michael runs upstairs, and is back in 2 minutes. He’s holding a lot of bandanas, which causes everyone to look at him oddly. 

“He wore them a lot in the 5th grade up until 8th grade.” Jeremy said, looking at Michael. He blushes as he hands out the bandanas. He wears the rainbow one, smiling. 

“I want one.” Chloe says, tying a pink one. Everyone looked at each other's colors. Rich had red, Jake had green, Chloe had pink, Brooke had yellow, Christine had black, Jenna had purple, Dustin had one with alien designs, and Jeremy had one that had the colors of the bi flag. 

“Lucky.” Rich says, looking at Jeremy. With that, they walk out of the house. Jake gets in his pickup, starting it. 

“Everyone’s going in the pickup.” Michael says, walking over to his car and opening the trunk. 

“I mean, plenty of uth can fit in the back. It’th a fucking pickup truck.” Rich says. 

“I can fit one more person up here.” Jake says as he watches Rich get in. Dustin hops in the back, Christine following. Jenna shakes her head, gesturing for Christine to get out.

“You’re small and might fly out if he stops it too crazy.” Jeremy turns around so Christine doesn’t see his smile, but everyone hears his giggles. Christine gets out and gets into the front, pouting. 

“I’m not that small, Rich is my height.”

“And he’s in the front.” Jenna says, smiling. Christine looks at Rich, who laughs, then stops. 

“Hey!” Rich yells. “I’m not that small.” 

“You are.” Chloe says, getting into the back with Brooke. Michael takes out goggles from his trunk, and a metal staff. 

“What the fuck? When the fuck did you have a staff?” Dustin asks out loud. 

“A couple years ago, we had a plan to have weapons in case a fight could be too much. It was more of a backup thing, and my moms got this from the armory at the Super Forces building.” Michael says, tossing it to Jeremy. Jeremy catches it, holding it close. “It’s for electricity powers.”

“Who needs weapons? What superhero uses weapons?” Dustin asks. 

“Batman.” Jeremy says as he got onto the truck. “And Batman is a badass.”

Michael takes out two walkie talkies, walking over to the truck and handing it to Christine. 

“What’s this for?” She asks. Michael holds up his. 

“I’m gonna scout ahead, tell you guys when I find him.” Michael says. “Head for his apartment, park a few cars away and stay out of sight.”

“There’th an empty building at the end of the block.” Rich says. “Check that out too.”

“And be careful.” Jeremy says from the back, and Michael walks over to where Jeremy was sitting in the back. He reaches a hand out and places it on his friends back. 

“Of course, and when we get this over with. We’re gonna have a Smash Bros night.” Michael says, and Jeremy can hear the smile in his voice. As Michael walks away, putting the goggles over his glasses. He looks at Jake, showing a smile before he speeds off. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our kids are gonna fight the bad guy. Oh boy. Anyway, like I said in the beginning notes, I hope this was better than the og chapter 5. Next chapter is gonna be huge, and its done! So if you guys want, I can post it in an hour or something. Before I sleep. 
> 
> Anyway, till next chapter! Have a goodnight/good day!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A plan unfolding, some fighting, pretty graphic flashbacks, and anger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aren't my summaries great? Anyway, this chapter might make you uncomfortable, it's only a tiny part. Well a lot of parts. 
> 
> TW: Abuse, Attempted Suicide, Past Rape/Rape mention, Sexual Harassment, Stabbing(The end of the chapter, it's a sentence but I put it down anyway, oh and the F-Word slur
> 
> Just a heads up, this has Sebastian's background kinda unfolding, and when it changes to a younger Sebastian, you can just scroll down to where he wakes up.

 

Sebastian stood inside the van. Explosives all hooked up and connected with wires. He smirks, hopping down from the opened van. He looked around at the kids he Squipped, a total of 20. Not a lot, but it’ll do. 

“Alright, the plan is to drive this to the Super Forces building that’s 20 minutes from here. We’ll park it in the underground parking lot, and leave before it explodes.” He told the group, patting his leg a bit as he did. He listens as the wind outside hits the windows, smiling as he knows what that means.

“We’re going this all tonight?” A boy asked, and Sebastian nodded. 

“We’re leaving right now.” Sebastian says, walking to the front of the van. The other teens walk out the back, to a few cars stashed back there. It was their own vehicles, since Sebastian had no money to buy more cars and didn’t want to risk any danger to the plan. He opens the garage of the building, then gets into the van. He waits, glancing to the side. He leans forward, just in time to see someone dash out. 

Good, I expected him.

A few building down, Michael stopped next to Jake’s truck.

“They’re about to move, be ready.” Michael said, rushing to the back and jumping in. They duck down a bit when they see the van leave and move away from them. Michael hits the top of the truck, and Jake starts following the van. As he does, they hear a noise from behind them, and everyone in the back turns just in time to watch a fireball soar over them.

“Oh fuck!” Chloe yells as they duck. Dustin stands up, wobbling from the truck moving. He holds out his hands, slowly making an ice wall to protect them. 

“This isn’t gonna hold!” Dustin yells as a part melts from a fireball. He fixes it quickly, only to watch another part melt. 

Michael stands up, pulling Dustin back down. Brooke stands up, holding onto Michael as the ice melts. Once she can see the car behind them, she holds out her hand. She closes her eyes as she lifts the car off the ground, taking deep breaths as she does. Michael holds her as Jake swerves the truck, trying to get next to the van. Brooke brings her arm back, then thrusts it forward, sending the car she was holding back. It hits the ground, rolling and landing in a ditch. 

“Now that was badass!” Chloe yells, pulling Brooke down just as Jake swerves again. Just as they think they’re in the clear and getting close to the van, the truck gets hit. A car appears, knocking the truck off the road. Thankfully, it doesn’t flip, but it lands in a ditch just like the other car. The car the knocked them off as still on the road, but stopped and the teens inside got out. They rush down, and one is about hit Michael when Jeremy hits him in the chest with his staff. It knocks the guy back, and Jeremy hops down with the others, starting to fight the Squipped teens. Dustin freezes some of them, while Michael knocks some out. Brooke lifts the truck out of the ditch and back onto the road, Chloe protecting her. One of the teens grabs Dustin and punches him, then knees him in the stomach. Dustin sinks down, holding his gut. He coughs, but gets kicked in the face. He gets knocked back with the kick, holding his nose. He gasps as he sees a foot hovering above him. Then it’s gone. Rich is on top of the teen, landing punch after punch. He then gets up and runs toward Dustin, helping him up. 

“Thank you.” Dustin says softly, looking tired. Rich just nods, helping Dustin climb the ditch to get back on the road. Brooke puts the car down, and watches as Dustin slowly gets into the truck. Michael knocks out another Squipped teen, Jeremy shocking one that was about to attack Michael.

“Two player game, right?” Jeremy said as he stands behind Michael.

“Hell yea.” Michael says, then heads toward another teen. There’s two left, he decides to go after one while Jake gets the other one. Jeremy and the others climb the ditch as Michael puts a boy to sleep, while Jake disappears from sight, turning invisible. The last teen stands, ready to fight and turning around to find Jake. 

“Behind you.” He hears, turning around. Then he feels someone tap his shoulder. “Just kidding.”

The teen turns to a fist meeting his face, knocking him out. Jake and Michael glance at each other, then rush up the ditch. Once on the road, Jake gets into his truck, trying to turn it on. It lets out a noise, but doesn’t turn on. 

“Shit, come on!” He yells at his truck, hitting the dashboard. 

Michael runs a hand through his hand, tapping his foot. 

“He’s probably close to the building, we won’t make it.” Jenna states, turning her attention to checking Dustin’s face. Michael looks in the direction of where Sebastian went, then pats the truck. 

“Jeremy, get out. We’re going on ahead.”

“What?” Jeremy says, but gets out of the truck. 

“Get on my back, we can catch up and stop the van.”

“Are you crazy?”

“This is the only idea I have, and if it fails, then it fails. But right now, we don’t have a choice.” Michael says, grabbing Jeremy’s arms. “We can do this.”

Jeremy looks into Michael’s eyes, getting lost in them. He nods slowly, walking behind Michael and getting on his back. Rich hands him his staff, looking him in the eyes. Rich gets close.

“Make him pay, we’ll catch up.” Rich says, stepping back. Jeremy nods, holding onto Michael tightly. Michael adjusts his goggles a bit, then speeds off. Jeremy holds on tight as they move, tightening his grip on his staff. They catch up quickly, seeing that their location is 10 minutes away from the building. Michael turns his head a bit.

“Use your staff! Shock  it and it should blow!” 

“Isn’t that a bad idea if there’s explosives in the van?!”

“Do it Jeremy! We have to stop it!” With that, Jeremy holds out his staff, slowly touching the tire. He hesitates, but quickly sends electricity through the staff. He looks up in time to see Sebastian staring at him, angry. The tire pops and Michael slows down as the van starts losing control. It drives off the road, and flips. Michael watches as it flips into the empty, grassy field. It stops and no one gets out. Inside, Sebastian is passed out. 

 

“We’re here.” Mr. Quill said to his son as he parked in front of the apartment building. A small Sebastian, who was 8, looked at the huge building. He puts his small hand on the window of the car, pressing his nose against it to see if it’ll look bigger if he did that. His father got out of the car, walking towards his door to let him out. His father opens the door, and picks up the small child, carrying him inside as he closes the car with his foot. 

The apartment is big, and Sebastian is smiling around at all the new stuff. His father puts him down, letting him run around the apartment. Mr. Quill checks his watch, scratching his head. He watches his son run around, then watches as he jumps onto the couch. He grabs him quickly, putting him back on the floor.

“Don’t do that! It’s a brand new couch!” He yells, and Sebastian looks down a bit. He nudges a small string sticking out of the rug. “If you break this, you’re grounded!” 

“Yes, sir.” Sebastian says quietly.

His dad always seemed to yell at every little thing, ever since he was 5. Sebastian always found himself doing something wrong, and his father was always the one to fix him. When Sebastian was 13, he had stole money and bought weed. He thought it was cool and tried it, which ended with him high in his room. His dad caught him, and it turned into a fight.

“How dare you bring that stuff into this house!” He yelled, and Sebastian stared at him angrily. 

“You used to do this too! Everyone thought you were so perfect and great, when really you were high off crack or something!” Sebastian said. Mr. Quill put his hands around Sebastian’s neck, squeezing. Sebastian reaches behind him, grabbing a vase and smashing it against his dad’s head. He lets go, causing Sebastian to gasp and cough. 

Mr. Quill holds his head, staring at his son. 

“You’re such a disgrace, what would your mom say?” He asks, pulling away his hand. There’s blood.

“Well mom isn’t here! She’s all the way in fucking London, doing who knows what! She’s probably fucking someone better than you.” Sebastian spits, and his father tackles him. With his father on top of him, Sebastian doesn’t move as his father threw punch after punch. Sebastian could feel his face slowly go numb as the punches continued. Once it stopped, Sebastian stayed still, staring at the hallway to his right. His face was covered in blood that dripped onto the floor. His father slowly got up, and walked away from his son. He opened the front door and walked out, and once the door closed, Sebastian sobs. He was shaking as he slowly stood up, watching as blood dripped from his chin and nose. 

A few months after this incident, Sebastian was in his room with another teen. The other boy was on top of Sebastian, the boy’s kissed each other gently. He could feel the boy lower his hands, and Sebastian stops him. He pulls away.

“Stop.” Sebastian says softly. 

“Why?” The boy asked. 

“Because, no. We’re too young for that step. Give it another year or two.” Sebastian says. 

“Oh come on, I could get a girl to suck me off if I want.” The boy said, a smirk on his face. “I didn’t know guys would be so serious about this.”

“I don’t want that, but we can continue kissing if you want.” Sebastian said, and the boy slowly nods, leaning in again. Just then, the door opens, and Sebastian stares at his father. The boy jumps off Sebastian, grabbing his sweater and running past Mr. Quill, who just stares at his son. Once they hear the front door close, Sebastian stands up slowly.

“You’re kidding.” Mr. Quill said softly, but Sebastian can hear the anger.

“It was nothing, nothing dad.”

“Bullshit, you’re a fag!” He yells, throwing the beer bottle he had at Sebastian and missing. It was obvious he was drunk. 

“Dad, please! I’m still the same.” Sebastian says, holding his hands up. Mr. Quill moves forward and grabs Sebastian, pulling him close.

“You disgrace of a son! Why are you so pathetic?!” He yells, and Sebastian wished he could disappear. Sebastian makes a fist and punches Mr. Quill, hearing something crack. Mr. Quill held his cheek, then looks at Sebastian.

“Your mom has been gone for so long, you know that. I wish she was here, then I’d be fine.” He said, and Sebastian is pushed onto his bed. He gets held down. “You’ll have to do.” 

“Stop! This makes you a fag too!” Sebastian yells, starting to kick and fight his father. He hears a chuckle. 

“I’m never gonna get snitched on right? And who would believe you? You’re gay, maybe they’ll think you liked it.” Mr. Quill said. The night was a slow one indeed. 

Sebastian was 16 when he swallowed pills in his bathroom, his father having disappeared 2 years before. He swallowed them to forget the pain, the night, the boy’s, the loveless sex. The loneliness. Sebastian woke up in a hospital, never finding out who found him. Outside, Tala Mell was talking to the doctor. A week later, he started working on a pill.

When Sebastian entered Middle Borough and met Jeremy Heere, he thought that maybe he could have a friend finally. He did, but it was forced. He knew that. A week after they had started dating, he had Rich go out to get something. He made out with Jeremy, leaving marks. He found himself hitting them, getting as angry as his father used to. He went to bed crying those nights, holding the fist the did it. 

One night, he tried to have sex with Jeremy Heere. That’s when he found out Jeremy’s secret, and just stopped. He stayed up late thinking about how there’s someone like him. The day after, he questioned Jeremy about when he knew. Jeremy came out in the 7th grade, and his mom left because of it. This lead to Sebastian asking about what he thought about people who were non-binary. 

Sebastian thought about the Squip and how he made it without a gender, since it was just a computer. He cried that night, thinking about what his dad’s reaction to his gender would be. 

Now, Sebastian was bleeding from his forehead hitting the steering wheel too hard. He slowly picked his head up, staring ahead at the grassy field. He laughed out loud, tears threatening to escape. He shook his head, getting out of the van. He fell onto the ground, gasping a bit. He turned his head to look at the road. He see’s a truck driving toward him on the road. It stops out of his view, which causes him to crawl a bit. He sees two figures standing there, watching the van. Jeremy and Michael were ready for what could happen next, hoping it wasn’t gonna be an explosion. 

He slowly stands up, flinching as his ribs sent a pain through his torso. He takes a deep breath, tapping his head. 

“Take the pain away, you lousy computer.” He says, and the pain was gone. He stretches, standing out in the open. Jeremy held his staff close, the truck parking behind him. The teens got out, Dustin slowly making his way out. 

“It’s over Sebastian!” Michael yells. “It’s over!”

Sebastian slowly walks toward the road, a smile on his face.

“You gonna cuff me or what?” He asks as he walks forward. He puts a hand on his side, gripping the body armor. 

“It’s over. The Super Forces are on their way!” Michael yells. “And they’re gonna lock you up.”

“Sounds like the past 4 years of my life.” Sebastian says, then points at the truck. “It’s still ticking, by the way.”

“Shut it off then.” Jake says. “It’s a fire hazard.”

“Really, you care about a fire hazard?” Dustin says quietly, looking at Jake. Sebastian chuckles, getting onto the street. He stands in front of Michael, then walks past him.

“We will kill you if we have to.” Chloe says, causing Michael to glance at her.

“No you won’t.” Sebastian says, walking down the road. Brooke looks at the van, then holds her hands out. She slowly picks it up to bring it on the road.

“How do we shut it off?” Jenna asks. Sebastian stops, turning to face the group. 

“I won’t tell you.” He tells them as Dustin opens the back with a groan. He gets in slowly, walking to the middle. In the middle was a timer, a timer that read 6:00, going down by the second.

“6 minutes!” Dustin yells.

“You tell us now!” Michael yells, Sebastian turns around and walks away. 

“It’s just a road, not like it’ll hurt people.” Sebastian said, a smile in his voice. Jeremy grips the staff tightly, then runs forward. He catches up with Sebastian, holding the staff like a bat and hitting the taller teen hard on his back. Sebastian drops to his knees, letting out a noise of pain. He slowly stands up, putting his hand back on his side. He turns around, looking at Jeremy. 

“You made my life hell! You fucked with my head! You fucked with Rich’s head! You used us!” Jeremy yells, pointing the staff at him. “You used me.” 

Sebastian grips something on his armor.

“I knew it.” Sebastian said, smirking. “I knew you had it in you.”

“What do you mean?” Jeremy asks, shaking a bit.

“You have dark energy! You’re as evil as me!” 

“I’m nothing like you!” Jeremy yells. “I’m not!”

“You want to kill me Jeremy, so do it!” Sebastian steps forward, Jeremy’s staff touching his armor. “Kill me!”

Jeremy stares into Sebastian’s eyes, thinking.

“Do it.” Chloe whispers. 

“No. We need him alive.” Michael says. “We need him alive, Jeremy!”

“Kill me. Kill me, Jeremy.” Sebastian said as he grips his armor harder.

“Jeremy!” Rich yells. “No matter what, he’th gonna thuffer. It’th your decithion on how he thufferth.” 

“I can’t kill him. I can’t” Jeremy said, lowering his staff. Sebastian smirks, then looks past Jeremy. He looks at Michael.

“If you won’t kill me!” Sebastian yells, pulling something sharp out of his coat. “Then I’ll kill you.”

And Sebastian pushes the knife into Jeremy’s chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We get more background later, I just wanted to do this. Also to make it longer and because I never really talked about Sebastian's past before, so I thought it would be great to add it in now. Like I said we're gonna get some more later.
> 
> I hope you guys don't hate me because of the ending of this chapter, because I always felt someone would say something bout it. 
> 
> Anyway! Have a good day/good night yall!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fight, and an entrance, and crying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, this chapter is pretty good. I'm somewhat proud of this, even if it's kinda short. Next chapter probably will be longer. I meant to upload this earlier in the day, but I was in school and I had musical auditions so I've had a busy day. anyway, enjoy!
> 
> TW: Blood, electrocution, burning, broken bones, seizures

“No!” Michael starts moving but Sebastian moves the knife down Jeremy’s torso. He stops when Michael stops moving, everyone watching in horror. Jeremy coughs up blood, letting go of the staff. Sebastian picks up Jeremy slowly, then pushes him hard, the knife still in him. He lands on Jake's truck, holding the knife and spitting up blood. Michael clenches his fist, shaking with anger.

“Dustin, stay with Jeremy. Jenna, get into his head and find out which wire to cut so we can shut off this bomb.” Michael said, then starts walking forward. Rich ignites his flames of his left arm, Jake slowly turns invisible. Chloe shapeshifts a bit, turning her hands into claws, while Brooke stood by her. Dustin looked at Christine, who takes his spot by Jeremy’s side. Dustin forms ice around his arms, standing by Michael.

“We gonna kill him, or what?” Dustin asks quietly, as Sebastian formed fire on his arms as well, a smirk on his face. 

“We do anything we can to take him down.” Michael says. “If we have to kill him, let me do it.” 

With that, Michael speeds forward, Brooke using her powers to keep Sebastian still as Michael landed a punch to his chest, sending the villain back. He groans as he gets up, then straightens out. 

Rich shot fireballs at the teen, while Dustin and Jake moved forward. Jake was able to get behind Sebastian, since he wasn’t seen, while Dustin attacked from the front. Sebastian whistles a bit, then moves to the side when Dustin tries to land a punch. He ends up hitting Jake, causing the him to be seen as he held his stomach.

“Watch where you throw your punches!” Jake yells, about to shout more when Sebastian kicks him off the road and into the field next to the street. Rich decides to charge forward then, Chloe behind him. They both attack from the sides, but Sebastian puts both his hands up, holding them in the air.

“Telekinesis.” Dustin whispers to himself, forming an ice sword on his hand. He moves toward Sebastian, thrusting his sword forward and cutting Sebastian's arm. He cried out, putting his non-injured hand on his wound, letting go of Rich. Rich shoots fire at Sebastian, setting his overcoat on fire. He lets go of Chloe and moves back, taking off his coat and tossing it aside. The body armor caused everyone to think about where to hit Sebastian, now that he seemed like an open book. Rich gets close and throws a punch, but Sebastian catches it. He holds it tightly, then smirks. 

“You burned me. I should burn you.” He said, and the flames on his arm slowly disappeared. Rich was confused, but then he could feel the burning sensation. He looks down, watching as his arm started burning, the flames traveling down to his legs. He screams, jumping away and trying to put out the flames. His fire wasn’t working, it turned against him. He dropped to the floor, rolling and trying to get the pain to stop. Jake watches and he screams as he runs toward Sebastian, able to land a punch. 

Sebastian chuckles as a bruise slowly forms on his face, turning to look at Jake. He brings his leg up and kicks Jakes knee, breaking it. Jake collapses and screams in pain, tears falling. He tries to get up, but Sebastian was quick. He brought his leg up again and brought it down on Jake’s other knee, breaking it also. Jake yelled louder, and Michael was frozen with the scene in front of him. He thought, then turned around. He looked at Christine, looking guilty as he speed away from the fight. 

“Michael!” Dustin shouted as he watched his friend abandon them. He wants to cry, he wants to yell. He turns his focus on Sebastian, who is already moving on him. He grabs Dustin’s arm, and electrocutes Dustin, causing the smaller boy to scream as the shocks went through his body. He collapsed back, passing out as blood slowly trickled out of his nose and open mouth. Chloe gets behind Sebastian and cuts his arm deep with her claws, quickly moving away.  He watched as the blood dripped from his blood covered hands, and he stared at his bloody arms. 

He looks at his van, the bombs. They’ll be going off any minute now. He chuckles, turning to face Chloe. Jenna nods to herself, getting into Jake’s truck and finding the multitool in his glove compartment. She pulls out the knife and runs over to the van quickly. Sebastian sees this, and frowns. He runs toward Chloe, flinching as he brought his hands up and sent bolts toward her, shocking her. She falls to the ground, holding her stomach as she did, feeling the shocks still going. Brooke tries to stop him, but fails. He hits her hard, sending her flying to the edge of the road. Christine keeps her hands on Jeremy’s chest, keeping them around the knife. She doesn’t want to take it out, it could cause him to die faster. 

Sebastian holds his arm out, lifting the van slowly. Jenna is knocked off balance, grabbing the white wire. Sebastian slowly starts crushing the van, Jenna still inside the van. Sebastian is about to turn the van into a ball, when he hears something. 

“Michael makes an entrance!” Michael shouts as he jumps on Sebastian and stabs him in the neck with. A needle? Michael injects the liquid into Sebastian, while the van falls back to the ground. Jenna cuts the wire, and everything felt frozen. When the timer stopped at 30 seconds, she cried out happily. Michael pushes Sebastian, watching as he fell to his knees and took out the needle from his neck.

“What did. You do?” He said, turning and laying on his back. His back arches as pain goes through his body. 

“Easy. I injected you with Mountain Dew Red.” Michael said, a smirk on his face. “It’s over, Sebastian.”

“You. Son of a-” He stops when he starts convulsing. Michael steps away, watching for a bit before rushing over Jake’s truck. He grabs Jeremy slowly, taking him off the truck and putting him on the ground. He helps Christine down also, then turns his full attention to Jeremy. A pool of blood was forming under him, and Michael finally let tears fall. He puts his fingers on Jeremy’s neck, feeling a soft pulse. He hears sirens in the distance, looking up and seeing flashing lights coming toward them. 

He takes off his sweater, putting it around the knife. He pulls off his goggles, tossing them to the side. Jenna ran to the others, using her sweater to help Rich, who was curled up and crying. Christine looks at Michael.

“Go help Jenna, I’ll stay here with him.” Michael said softly as he keeps his eyes on Jeremy. The sirens get closer.

Jeremy slowly opens his eyes, half lidded blue eyes staring up at brown eyes. 

“I’m sorry.” He says very softly, causing Michael to lean in closer to his friend. Jeremy slowly reaches up and touches Michael’s cheek weakly. Michael grabs his hand, holding it softly.

“Don’t talk Jer. Save your strength. You’re gonna make it.” Michael said, and Jeremy gives a weak and bloodied smile. 

“I s-should’ve listened.” Jeremy said. “I d-d-didn’t even… Like him.”

Michael shushes his friend, who was slowly slipping back into unconsciousness. The sirens are finally there, and people are helping his friends. Michael doesn’t move. 

“I love you, Michael.” Jeremy said, closing his eyes. “It’s always… Been you.” 

Jeremy went limp and Michael let out loud sobs. He quickly put his fingers on his friend’s neck, still feeling a pulse. He gets pulled away, and he finds himself yelling. He turns to face his mothers, who both grab him and hug him as Jeremy is carried away on a stretcher. He sobs loudly, watching as the rest of his friends are taken away, Sebastian being handcuffed before they carried him off. 

Michael is taken to a car, and is put in the back. He stays silent as Jenna and Christine get in also, putting his hands around his ears. He hums loudly, blocking out the people shouting and yelling orders outside. He wants his hoodie, but he gave it to Jeremy. Jeremy better make it. Jake and Rich are hurt badly, and he doesn’t even know Chloe and Brooke’s condition. Christine and Jenna look at eachother, then look back at Michael with sadden eyes. 

A man opens the door, looking at the three teens. 

“Alright, I’m gonna need information on what happened here tonight.” He said in a deep voice, reminding Michael of the Squip. 

“Are they gonna be ok?” Jenna asks, referring to their friends. The man pauses before nodding, taking out a notepad. 

“Now, what happened?” And he listened while they told their story. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No one dies, don't worry. No one is gonna die, that'd be terrible on my part. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. We're almost done, we have 2-3 chapters left.   
> Have a good night/good day!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A life or death thing, hospital, and the start of something good (Hopefully)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Almost done. Next chapter might be the last, but depends honestly. I think this might be the longest chapter I've written, so yay I did that. This is like over 3,000 words, so I impressed myself. Anyway, enjoy!
> 
> TW: Mentions of abuse, panic attacks, mention of f-word and past rape, mentions of past suicide attempt (Tell me if I should add more)

Jeremy awoke gasping for air, coughing and flailing under the water. He swims up and takes a deep breath. He slowly climbs up, standing up in the water. He looks around, noticing that he was nowhere, and it was dark. It was black everywhere, the only thing that he can see was bits of light hitting the water.

“What the hell?” He asks himself. He looks down at his clothes, which were the same clothes he had when he was fighting Sebastian. They were white clothes now, and he had a maroon colored spot on his chest. 

“You’re dying.” He hears a voice say, and turns around to face his Squip.

“You were turned o-off.” He said to the computer, stepping back. The bot nods slowly, crossing his arms. 

“I was, but I’m in your head. And you’re dying so we both get to be here.” Squip says, taking a step forward. He points up, and Jeremy looks up slowly. Above him was a ball of light, which explained the light hitting the water.

“This is like Stranger Things, but more weird.” He said to himself, looking back at the Squip. “Am I gonna die?”

“Maybe, they’re operating on you now. Maybe you’ll pull through.”

“Michael… Is he…”

“He’s fine, but freaking out most likely. You did pass out in his arms, after you sorta confessed to him.” 

Jeremy shakes his head slowly, hugging himself. 

“No. God, I’m such an idiot.”

“I know.” Squip says, walking toward Jeremy. “You need me, and you tried to get rid of me.”

“Fuck off.” Jeremy clenches his shirt, looking back up at the light. It was getting closer. 

“That’s gonna be on us in a few seconds.” Squip says. “Brace yourself.”

Jeremy and Squip watch as the light overcomes them, and it causes Jeremy to scream.

“No! I don’t want to die! No!!!” Jeremy yells, and when he opens his eyes, he’s in his room. He lets his hands fall to his sides.

“Your life is flashing before you. You’re catching glimpses of your past.” Squip appears next to him.

“I’m dead.”

“No, not yet. You’re still alive.” Squip says, chuckling. “Relax, this happens.”

“This isn’t a laughing matter.” Jeremy says, then walks over to his door. It opens before he has a chance to do it, and he shivers as two kids run through him.

“Ok Joana, you ready for this?” a small Michael asked Jeremy’s child-self. He stared at the little girl he used to be, his heart torn. He closes his eyes, putting a hand on his chest.

“Uh, yeah! We’ve been waiting for this for like, ever!” The young girl said loudly, giggling. Jeremy opened his eyes to watch the kids take out comics from a box. Jeremy laughed to himself, walking over.

“What?” Squip asked, giving a confused look.

“Michael and I went to a market and bought this box. Inside was limited edition comics for all types of different series. Spiderman, Captain America, X-men. Hell, we even got Archie comics.” Jeremy wipes away the tears that fell. “It was the best day of our little lives.”

“When did you know you liked Michael?” Squip asked, catching Jeremy off guard. The teen turns to face the bot, the closes his eyes. When he opens them, they’re still in his room, but it’s different now. On the walls were posters for video games and some Marvel super heroes. He looked around at the room, smiling a bit. 

He hears someone strumming on a ukulele, and he turns to see his younger self again, older and taller. He had short hair and was slowly plucking out chords to a song he forgot. He groans setting his instrument to the side and standing up. He watches as his younger self pulled out a notebook from the side of his bed, opening it. He grabs a pen from his nightstand and starts writing. 

“I used to write journals when I was little, talking about my friends, my mom, my dad, and of course, Michael.” Jeremy said. “He was in it all the time, almost everyday.”

“Have you always liked him then?” Squip asked, glitching a bit. Jeremy thinks, then shakes his head. 

“I don’t know honestly, I didn’t notice them till middle school.” Jeremy said, closing his eyes again. He opens them and he finds himself at his old middle school. He walks down the hall, stopping in front of a class. The bell rings and kids quickly flood the halls, and Jeremy watches and little Michael and Jeremy ran outside. School ended.

“Game night tonight! You down?” Michael asked Jeremy, who played with his sleeves a bit. 

“Y-Yeah, what t-time should I b-be there?” Jeremy stutters, and Michael gives him a smile. Little Jeremy’s heart fluttered. 

“Anytime dude! Just hurry up, or me and Dustin are gonna start without you!” Michael said, then ran off to his mom’s car. Jeremy started walking home, then someone grabbed his hand and pulled him off somewhere.

“Dude! Let go!” Jeremy yells at the shorter boy, causing him to stop and smirk.

“You like Michael.” The shorter boy said, adjusting his glasses.

“No I don’t Rich, stop.” Jeremy said, starting to walk again. Rich catches up, fixing his glasses again.

“Yeth you do.” Rich said. “Come on, jutht admit it. You like him. You like-like him!”

“I’ll admit it if you admit you like Jake Dillinger.” Jeremy said, crossing his arms. Rich blushes madly at that, then pouts. 

“I don’t like him. I like girlth!” Rich yells, then pauses. He looks around, making sure no one heard him. 

“Dude, you like him probably as much as I like Michael.”

“Tho you admit it?” Rich asks, smiling.

“If you admit also.” 

Rich pauses, opening his mouth to say something. He stops, looking down. 

“I can’t.” Rich says quietly, then sniffles. He looks back up with teary eyes, surprising Jeremy. “I c-can’t.”

“C-Can I hug you?” Jeremy asks, and Rich just wraps his arms around Jeremy. He sobs into Jeremy’s chest, causing Jeremy to blush and feel a bit uncomfortable even if he has a binder on. 

“My dad… He’ll kill me if he knew.” Rich said, pulling away from the hug, holding Jeremy’s hands. Jeremy looks at him sadly. 

“Is he the reason why you have bruises?” Jeremy asks, and Rich lets go of his hands. He looks at Jeremy, giving him a sad look before walking away. Jeremy watches him, tugging at the bottom of his shirt. 

Older Jeremy stood to the side, looking at the ground.

“I always had a feeling, but even after I knew. I did nothing.” Jeremy said softly. “Rich was a dick, but he was always helping me with my feelings.” 

“So, he was a good friend?” Squip asks, looking at Jeremy. 

“Yes.” Jeremy said, then chuckles. “I helped him ask out Jake the next year.” 

Jeremy was ready for the next memory when his chest started hurting. He falls to his knees and pukes. He stares at the red liquid, wiping his mouth with his arm. 

“It’s over.” Squip said, looking up again. Above them was darkness, and it feel on top of them quickly. Jeremy screamed again, holding his chest. He cried loudly, his eyes shut tightly. He felt himself sinking, and sinking. Soon, he was underwater again. He thrashed around, felt like he was being held down. He screamed, but there was no sound. Above the water, was a light. He reached up, then closed his eyes. He heard a muffled beeping. It continued, repeating itself. 

He stops moving, opening his eyes. He sees a hand reaching for him, and there was Michael. 

“Wake up Jeremy.” He hears Michael say, and he looks up toward the light again, then back to Michael. He takes his friend’s hand, and is pulled to him. Michael smiled, and Jeremy watches his hair move under the water. Jeremy smiles at Michael, then frowns. This isn’t the real Michael. The real Michael is alive and fine. He’s ok. He’s not drowning.

“Wake up, weirdo!” He hears more yelling, turning to see Dustin smiling at him. He turns back to Michael, to find him gone. He turns to the right, seeing Rich. He’s frowning, reaching for Jeremy. There’s dark spots all over Rich. 

“You can do this.” Rich says.

Rich then points behind him, and Jeremy turns around to see Jake. He looked fine, that was till Jeremy saw his knees were covered with dark spots. Jake is smiling at him, giving him a thumbs up. Christine and Jenna appear on both side of Jeremy.

“Don’t give up!” Christine says.

“You better not die.” Jenna said, crossing her arms.

They disappear and he feels two people hug him. Chloe and Brooke hug him tightly, and He closes his eyes again. They’re gone when he opens his eyes, and he’s alone again. At least he thinks he is, till he looks up. Sebastian is above him, and he gave Jeremy a soft smile. He slowly disappears, and Jeremy glances around again. He closes his eyes, slowly sinking lower into the water. The beeping gets louder, and the scene gets brighter. He feels a hand grab his, and he holds on tightly to it. 

“He’s holding my hand.” He hears Michael’s voice say softly. 

“He can hear you, just keep talking. He’ll wake up soon.” A different man said. 

“Thank you.” Michael says, and Jeremy hears footsteps walking away. He hears a sigh, then feels a soft kiss to his forehead.

“I… I love you Jeremy.” He hears his friend say. “I should’ve told you sooner.” 

He hears soft sobbing. 

“I s-should’ve saved you. I should’ve protected you.” Michael starts to let go, but Jeremy clutches his sleeve. He slowly opens his eyes, flinching at the pain in his chest. It wasn’t as bad as it was before, they probably gave him a lot of medication. 

“Don’t let go.” Jeremy says so softly, Michael has to strain to hear him. “Come on.”

Michael looks at the bed, then looking at Jeremy’s hand. He was weak and pale, and his binder got damaged from the knife. He didn’t even have a binder on. Michael thinks before slowly climbing into the small bed, adjusting himself. Jeremy scoots over, flinching more. He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes and relaxing as much as he can. Michael takes off his glasses, setting them to the side. He wraps an arm around Jeremy slowly, closing his eyes. They fall asleep like that, just like they have in many sleepovers before.

 

Jake wakes up with a start, sitting up. He sees his legs in slings over his bed, and his breathing increases. He looks around, finding that he’s alone in a hospital room. 

“Rich.” He says to himself, then slowly gets his legs out of the slings. He cries out when they hit the bed, then takes a deep breath. He puts them on the floor, hands shaking. He looks around and sees crutches. He moves to the edge of the bed, then reaches for them. He grabs one, but causes the other one to fall to the floor. 

“Damn it.” He says, slowly getting onto the floor. He grabs the other crutch, then struggles to stand up. He tosses one crutch onto the bed, then leans the other one against it. He grabs the bed, slowly climbing it. Once standing, and holding back tears from standing, he grabs the crutches. He relaxes a bit, then heads to the door. It was open, which means someone could have helped him. Dicks. He moves into the hall, looking around. He heads down toward the desk.

“Whoa, you’re supposed to be in bed!” A nurse yells at him.

“Where’s Rich?!” He yells back at her. “Where’s my boyfriend?”

“Listen, you need to worry about yourself. You should be in bed, resting.” She says, grabbing his shoulder. He hits her with his crutch, then moves away quickly. He nearly trips twice going down a hallway. Security stops him, causing him to turn and try to go back. He’s blocked, and he starts crying.

“I just want to know he’s ok.” He sobs out, then hits a security guard. He yells when he gets grabbed from behind. He starts thrashing around, then grabs the arm that’s around him.

“Jake, it’s ok! He’s ok!” Jenna yells, tightening her grip on her friend. “He’s ok, I’ll take you to his room, but you have to calm down.” 

“I have to see him Jen, let me go!” 

“I know, hey I know. You need to calm down first, you need to take deep breaths for me Jake.” Jenna puts a hand in Jake’s hair, stroking it gently. Jake takes slow and shaky breaths. “He’s ok. He’s ok. You’re gonna see him soon, just relax.”

Jake slowly calms down, clutching Jenna’s arm. 

Jenna stands up, helping Jake stand in the process. She picks up the crutches and gives them to Jake. They slowly walk, Jenna looking at the nurses. 

“Let him go, I’ll stay with him.” Jenna tells them softly, and the nurses glance at each other before making a path for the teens. They walk, passing multiple doors that were empty, some closed. They stop at a closed door with the number 404 on it. Jake looks at Jenna, then puts his hand on the knob. 

“He’s in here.” Jake says to himself, closing his eyes.

“It’s not a pretty sight Jake, he’s in bad shape. So, be prepared for this. It’s not good.” Jenna said, placing a hand on Jake’s back. Jake nods, then opens the door. It’s dark inside, but they see a small light behind the curtain. Jake moves in, standing in front of the curtain. 

Jenna stands next to him, then opens the curtains for him. Jake looks at the smaller teen who is now in a full body cast, and had bandages on his face. Jake looks at Jenna, then looks at the door.

“Can you… Leave us alone?” Jake asks, and Jenna nods. 

“I’ll be in room 402, they have Brooke and Chloe in there.” She tells him, then leaves, closing the door behind her. Jake looks down at Rich while moving to the chair near his bed. He thinks about sitting, but decides against it. He looks around and finds that there’s another bed in here. He makes a mental note to ask the nurse to move it closer to Rich. 

“Jake?” He hears, and he turns to see a very tired Rich staring up at him. Rich looks down at himself, then at Jake’s legs. “What happened?”

“You got burned. Badly.” Jake said, moving closer to the bed. “I got mad and, well my emotions got the best of me.” 

“Thebathtian. Did we thtop him?” Rich asks, trying to move. He glares down at his cast. 

“Yeah, yeah I think we did. Jenna brought me here, so I can guess everyone else is hopefully ok.”

“What about Jeremy?” 

Jake pauses, then looks away. 

“I don’t know, Rich. I just, hope he’s ok.” Jake tells him and Rich opens his palm out to Jake. The taller of the two looks down at the palm, then puts his hand on top, holding onto Rich’s hand gently.

“I love you Jake, and I’m thorry for leaving.” Rich says, and Jake smiles at him. 

“Don’t apologize, honestly, I would’ve done it too. Sebastian is intimidating and would’ve made me cry.”

“And I would’ve killed him if I had the chance.” Rich tells him, smiling. They both let out small giggles, before flying back into a conversation about Sebastian. Unbeknownst to them, next door Sebastian could hear everything, and he sighed. He looked down at the handcuffs that left him on the bed, then at the cup of water next to him. He had to take the suppression pill, which he hated. He won’t be able to use his powers till it wears off but. He isn’t gonna use them anyway. He accepted his fate the second Michael injected the red soda into him. 

“You’re awake.” Tala said, walking in and closing the door. She had a notepad with her, along with a file under her arm.

“Aren’t you Michael’s mother?” Sebastian asks, trying to be intimidating. 

“I am, but I am also the agent who got tasked with doing your case.” 

“You gonna defend me? Good luck.” 

“Not defend you, make sure you go to jail for a long time.” Tala said, then sets the file on a table near the bed. Sebastian moves slowly, sucking in a deep breath. Since his Squip was gone, he could feel all the pain that was caused during the fight. He looks down at himself shirtless, counting how many times the bandage was wrapped around his body. 

“What caused you to do this, Sebastian?” Tala asked, looking down at her notepad. 

“Loneliness.” Sebastian said quietly. Tala looked up at him, tilting her head. “My father disappeared when I was 14, and I’ve just. Been alone for years.”

“You were gonna blow up a building.”

“I didn’t say I was gonna leave after I planted it.” Sebastian says, looking up at her. “Do you know what it’s like to be alone? For years, having no interaction with no one but a voice in your head?”

“I don’t.” 

“Then you don’t understand, the need for touch and human interaction.” Sebastian says, letting out a small chuckle. “It’s terrible.” 

“Tell me about your father.” Tala leans forward a bit. “What was he like?”

“A monster, who used me.” Sebastian closes his eyes, leaning back in his bed. “He used me as a punching bag, and as a…” 

He pauses. Tala puts her hand over his, motherly instincts kicking in.

“You don’t have to talk about him now, I’m sorry for bringing it up.” She says, and Sebastian shakes his head, letting out a shaky breath. 

“He raped me.” Sebastian said, looking at her with open eyes. They were glossy from tears threatening to escape. “He found me in bed with a boy, and called me a fag and… It happened.”

“Did this become a regular thing?” Tala asked softly, and Sebastian nods slowly. 

“I almost did it to Jeremy, but I. I stopped. I felt guilty after because. I didn’t want to be like him. I don’t want to be him.” Sebastian says, putting a hand over his face. “I fucked up.”

“You wanted to hurt yourself, if anything  _ we  _ fucked up.” 

Sebastian moves his hand, looking at her. He sits up slowly.

“What do you mean?”

Tala hesitates before talking.

“You see, inside all of the occupied buildings, we put cameras in. So we can scope out the place and also the children inside. We investigate certain people, and their kids, to see if they could be evil or not.” 

“Isn’t that against the law?”

“We were given permission, and it’s stopped people before. We were able to save you the first time you…”

“Tried to kill myself?” Sebastian’s eyes went wide. “You saved me.”

“I did. When I saw what you had done, I sent police there right away, and I paid for the expenses.” She tells him, leaning back in her chair.

“You should’ve let me die. Then this wouldn’t have happened.” 

“Don’t say that.” Tala said. “Do you want to hear a story?” 

“Stories are stupid.” 

“Well, I want you to listen.”

“Fine…”

Tala takes a deep breath, before starting.

“A few years ago, there was a boy who I cared deeply about. Still do. He hated himself to such an extent and did what you did. Tried to take himself out of this world.”

Sebastian watches her, listening.

“He yelled at me, saying that he was burden and that he should’ve died. That I should’ve let him.” Tala lets tears roll down her face. “It broke my heart to hear him say that. But I did what anyone would’ve done. I got him help.”

Sebastian grabs the tissues next to his bed and hands them to her. 

“Even now, he has his off days. But he has his parents, and amazing friends with him. He thought he wouldn’t bring any good to the world.” She takes a tissue, blowing her nose. “But, he did. He ended up stopping you, and saved a lot of lives.”

“Michael.” 

“You see Sebastian, you were driven to evil because nobody was there to drive you out of it. But, we can help you.”

“I’m bad. I’m really bad.”

“And we can fix you. You have the potential to do good, everyone does. You just need to believe in yourself. Believe that you can do good.” She stands up. “We’ll continue this tomorrow.”

As she turns to leave the room, Sebastian grabs her hand. She turns to see him with tears finally escaping his eyes, and his face with guilt. 

“I want to be good.” Sebastian says, then lets go of her. “Don’t let me be like him. Don’t let me be like him.”

He keeps repeating the sentence as she stands there, not knowing what to do. She thinks for a second, before sitting back down in her chair. She lets him sob freely, knowing that his emotions were rare to be seen. This was a step closer to recovery, and a step closer to change. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, well that's all for today folks! I hope yall enjoyed! Have a good day/good night! Till the next chapter!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dancing, Getting better, and the end?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter. Enjoy it and I'll talk to you at the end.
> 
> TW: Abuse, beatings, blood, misgendering, transphobia

Three months after that night, all of the teens found themselves in Jake’s house. They put glowstars on the ceiling of the living room, then moved the furniture so they can all lay down and look at the stars they put up. 

“You know, I kinda feel bad about Sebastian.” Jenna says to fill the silence that feel between the group. 

“Why?” Brooke asked, turning her head a bit. “He could’ve killed us. He almost crushed you.”

“I know, but his past. It’s all crappy. Like someone could’ve pulled him out of that hole he dug for himself, but no one did.” 

Everyone thought about that. 

“I say, maybe we give him a chance.”

“No way.” Michael says. “He almost killed Jeremy, he left Rich and Jeremy with permanent scars, and Jake can’t walk right anymore.”

“And he could’ve killed me and Brooke, with all that electricity, he could’ve stopped our hearts.” Chloe says. Brooke holds her hand, stroking it a bit. She could tell Chloe was getting angry.

“But think about it, wouldn’t you control people if it meant you didn’t have to be alone anymore?” Jenna asks, and everyone went silent again. 

Jeremy puts a hand on his chest, sliding it up and down slowly. He feels the bottom of his new binder, one with pac-man on it. Michael gave it to him when he got out of the hospital, and he even got him a new sweater. He got Jeremy a baby blue sweater with patches all over, with the trans flag, a NASA patch, even a patch that said ‘Player 2’. It matched with the patch on Michael’s new hoodie, which said ‘Player 1’. Michael had to get a new sweater, since his old one had blood all over it. His new one was a darker red, and they had to paint the back so it could be like the old one. 

He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. He learned that even though he lived, even if the Squip was off, he could open his eyes and find himself back in the darkness. He didn’t understand why he could do this, why he could enter the darkness that is his head.

“It’s a new power.” He hears the Squip say, looking at the glitching figure. Jeremy was still laying down, just like how he was outside. Outside, he looked like he was sleeping. 

“What power is this?” Jeremy asks him, hearing water hitting the floor to the right of him. 

“I think it’s like communicating with your head, or seeing the future.” Squip said.

“I’ve done none of that. It’s more like I can be alone, even if I’m not alone.” Jeremy said, then sits up. 

“It’s weird, isn’t it?” He hears from his left, and turns to see a face he hasn’t seen in years. It makes him stand up, makes him shake.

“Mom?” 

“Hello Joana, how are you?” 

“Haven’t c-changed I see.” Jeremy mumbles, walking toward her. 

“Yeah, and I see you haven’t either.” His mom says, sitting up in what looks like a cot. She was wearing an orange uniform, and Jeremy understood what that meant. 

“You’re in prison.” He says, shaking his head. He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. When he opens his eyes, she’s gone. Instead, he sees an address floating in front of him.

“Her location.” Squip says, then puts his hand up. The letters and numbers disappear quickly, and Jeremy turns to the Squip. 

“She’s alive. She’s in prison. What the fuck?” He says, then watches as the scene changes. He falls backward into the water. He opens his eyes, staring up at the stars. He turns his head to see Michael smiling up at the glowstars. This makes Jeremy smile weakly, and Michael turns toward him. 

“What?” He asks, and Jeremy lets out a small chuckle. He places a gentle kiss to Michael’s lips, causing the other to widen his smile as he kissed back. They pull away, both faces red from kissing. They giggle at eachother, and Rich sits up when they do. He stands up, walking over to the small speaker. He plugs in his phone, and starts scrolling. 

“What’re you doing, Rich?” Jake asks, sitting up and looking at his boyfriend. 

“Taking our mindth off Thebathtian.” Rich says, then puts on Footloose by Kenny Loggins. As soon as it starts, Michael gets up and joins Rich near the speaker. They slowly move to the beat, then the words start. They start kicking their feet out, letting the music flow through them. Chloe and Brooke get up and start dancing with each other, laughing a bit as they did. Jeremy moved back toward the couch, sitting down and watching as everyone started dance. He helped Jake onto the couch as well, both smiling at their friends. Christine and Jenna joined their friends, Christine jumping up and down to the music. Jenna smiled and jumped with Christine. Michael jogs over to the Jeremy, pulling him off the couch. 

“Michael, I can’t dance.” Jeremy says, and Michael shakes his head. 

“You know what we can dance.” Michael said, and Jeremy blushes. He follows him to the center of the floor. They start doing a dance they learned together, and helped them develop their handshake. They stand across from each other, then smile as they do their handshake. One clap. Two clap. They tap feet. They bring their hand back up, grabbing each others hands and keeping their feet in the air. They hop, spinning. They bring their feet down, doing a shuffle back, then coming back. They started doing the Kid N’ Play, a dance that was popular in the 80’s and 90’s. They learned dance moves from both time periods, and both felt dorky for knowing these moves. They felt happy as they did it now, and laughed a bit when Rich got in between them, stopping them. He starts wiggling his hips, smirking. Then turns so they both are looking at the sides of him, and he starts doing the Running Man. They join him, laughing as they did. 

Christine walks over to Jake, holding out her hand.

“I can’t dance. My legs might start hurting.” He tells her, but she keeps her hand out anyway. He sighs, knowing he can’t get out of this. He stands up, and smiles as he joins his friends. He slowly starts getting into the groove. The song is coming to an end, they that doesn’t stop the teens from dancing. They laugh as the song ends, smiles on everyone’s faces. Another song starts and Michael chuckles. It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me by Billy Joel starts up, and Michael starts singing. 

“What’s the matter with the clothes I’m wearing?” He sings and everyone joins in. 

“Can’t you tell that your tie’s too wide?” Everyone said, and they continue like that. Everyone is smiling as Michael is singing. Soon, they change it again and dance more. Jake had to take a break since his legs started aching. He sits down on his couch, and Jeremy does too. He rubs his chest again, but smiles. He closes his eyes, but he doesn’t go into the dark abyss of his mind, he just listens to the music. Jake rubs his legs a bit, smiling. 

“I needed this.” He tells Jeremy, causing Jeremy to open his eyes and turn his gaze to him. “I needed to feel normal.”

“We all needed this.” Jeremy says, smiling at his friend. Jake chuckled, nodding. Jeremy remembered his mom, then frowns. Jake sees this, but doesn’t question it. 

Jeremy closes his eyes, sinking back into his head. When he opens it, he finds himself in a cell. He looks around, touching the walls.

“Whoa.” He says to himself.

“Feels like you’re here, right?” His mom says, causing him to turn and face her. He nods slowly, looking at the door. 

“What did you do?” Jeremy asks, not looking at her.

“I hurt people. People who deserved it.” She tells him. 

“You murdered people?” He asked, looking at her. She smirked.

“I did. I had to leave because I didn’t want to drag you down with me.” She tells him. Jeremy clenches his fists. 

“Why did you do it mom?” He asks. 

_ Jeremy, this isn’t good. _

“Because they were getting in my way.”

_ Jeremy. Leave now. _

“That doesn’t give you a right to take their lives away. What did they do to you?!” He starts yelling, his breathing quickening. 

“They stopped me from controlling the world.”

“God, you sound like Sebastian.”

_ Error. _

“Sebastian Quill is weak, he could’ve done what I wanted but he failed. He tried to do what I did, but failed. I hate that boy for trying to steal my spotlight.”

_ ERROR! _

Jeremy watches as the room starts to crumble. 

“You can give me power, Jeremy.” His mom says, and Jeremy is shocked with her words. “That’s your name, right? Jeremy.”

Jeremy watches as the Squip appeared behind her, glitching more than usual. He was blinking red, his eyes empty.

“We can make a difference in the world. Come see me in person if you want it.” She said. “I’ll be waiting.”

And with that, he’s down in the abyss. He’s in the water again, the Squip stops blinking red. He stands up on the water, staring at the bot.

“You should’ve left.” It said, crossing its arms. “She’s a danger to you and your head.”

“You can’t stop me from seeing her.”

“No, but she’s done terrible things. Jeremy, don’t be like her.”

Jeremy closes his eyes, sucking in a deep breath. He exhales slowly, then opens his eyes. The music has stopped, and Jake was over him.

“Dude, you’re awake!” He yells. Jeremy nods slowly, giving a confused look.

“Of course, w-why wouldn’t I b-be?” Jeremy asks, tilting his head.

“You weren’t waking up dude, you scared us.” Jake continues, and Jeremy looks around at the worried faces of his friends. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, just. Thinking.” Jeremy says, giving Jake a small smile. It felt forced. He stands up slowly, running a hand through his hair. He points to the speaker, smiling. “Now put the music back on, I got more energy in me now.”

“Are you sure Jeremy? We can just chill if you want.” Michael says, grabbing his boyfriend’s hand. 

“I’m fine Michael, please. I’m fine.”

Michael studies Jeremy a bit before nodding, walking over to the speaker to put on more music. 

 

“How do you feel today, Sebastian?” The man said, leaning back in his chair. Sebastian sat across from him, pulling on their white shirt.

“Better, I guess.” Sebastian says, staring at the man. 

“So, what do you want to talk about today?” The man asks, watching Sebastian. 

“How are they?” 

“They, who?”

Sebastian sighs, rubbing their neck.

“Jeremy and Rich.”

“Well, I don’t know if I can tell you.”

Sebastian groans.

“Don’t play that game, Doc. I stabbed Jeremy, and I burned Rich. Almost killed both of them.” Sebastian crosses their arms. 

“They’re better.” The therapist tells them, giving a small smile. Sebastian smiles right back, looking at the table.

“I’ve been having less seizures.” Sebastian says, and the other man listens. “And I’ve been talking to Super Forces more.”

“Really?” 

“Yeah, it’s kinda… Exciting.” Sebastian said, smiling wide. “They want to give me a chance, since I could give them insight into the mind of a villian. Said it could be great to have that on their side.”

“So, you’re improving.”

“Yes, well I think so. The Director is fighting my case, trying to make sure I stay in here.” Sebastian frowns. “They’re saying this could take years.”

“Well, no matter how long you wait, you seem to be on track. You haven’t had any episodes lately, and you’re less violent now.”

“I’m scared to go back into the real world.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean.” Sebastian stands up and starts pacing around the room slowly as he talks. “If I get put into the Super Forces, a place I tried to destroy, people are gonna hate me right away. I’ll be alone again, like I am in here, and like I was before.”

“What else?”

“I…” Sebastian pauses, then looks at his therapist. “I want to… I want to apologize to them.”

“To Mr. Heere and Mr. Goranski?” 

“To all of them. To everyone I hurt! But, I don’t know how I can ever do that. I fucked all that up… I fucked this up…” Sebastian sits down again, putting his face in the hands. 

“They’re talking about putting them in the Super Forces as well.” The therapist says. “They showed great talent when defeating you, and the director is also fighting them on it since they broke the law fighting you.”

“If I get approved and they get approved.”

“You have a chance at asking forgiveness, but it could take years, like you said.” Sebastian groans a bit. “Sebastian, you can do great things. Everyone is destined for great things, it’s up to you to decide if you want to go that far.” 

“I’m evil, and I could’ve killed people. Could’ve killed myself.”

“Hey, Sebastian.” Sebastian looks up at his therapist. “Don’t lose hope on yourself, and don’t give up on the possibility of having another shot. A shot to do something great, and a shot to be the good guy.” 

Sebastian nods slowly.

“You are destined for greatness, and I hope you see that through.” The therapist checks his watch. “We’re out of time.”

Sebastian stands up, holding out his hand. The therapist shakes it firmly, smiling. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Sebastian says, then walks out into the empty room. Well, there’s a guard waiting for them, so not that empty. They hold out their arms to the guard, who puts handcuffs on them and starts walking them back to their room. Sebastian looks at the ground, listening to their own footsteps as they walks. Then the guard stops them and puts them in a room, closing it. 

Sebastian looks around in the darkness, then shrieks when someone grabs them. The punches feel like fire to their ribs, which were still hurt from the fight months ago. They cried as they were kicked on and beaten, covering theirhead. Then it stopped, and someone spits on them.

“Freak.” Someone says, and the groups leaves them on the floor. They close their eyes tightly, covering their ears. They feel someone pick them up and carry them. They feel themself shaking, and they feel the blood dripping onto their shirt. They feel their ribs throbbing from the pain, and they feel the tears mix with blood. They’re placed on a bed, and they hear the door close. They’re alone, they’re alone. They curl up on their side, their hands still on their ears and their eyes still shut tightly. They feel someone hug them, which makes them tense up. 

“Open your eyes, Sebastian.” A voice says, and they do. It’s dark, and it causes them to sit up. Jeremy sat in front of them, giving a small wave.

“Jeremy?” Sebastian runs a hand through their hair. “Am I losing it?”

“What? No! No.” Jeremy says, then chuckles. “I uh. I c-can communicate w-w-with people like this. I… I wanted to check in o-on you.”

Sebastian wipes their bloody nose, looking away.

“Wanna talk about it?”

“No, I don’t need to.” 

“Still pretty mad, huh?”

Sebastian lets out a light chuckle, hugging themself. Jeremy smiles.

“Why did you want to check in on me?” Sebastian asks, staring down into the water.

“Because I’ve h-heard you’re ge-getting better. I wanted to see for myself, I-I guess.” Jeremy said. Sebastian nods, rubbing their hands together. “Michael and I got together, been dating since I left the hospital.”

“Congrats!” Sebastian yells, giving a small smile. “You should’ve gone for him. I’m sorry I held you back on that.”

“It’s ok, honestly.” Jeremy puts a hand in the water, moving it around. “I’m glad you’re getting better.” 

“Yeah, me too.” Sebastian stands up. “I should, head back.”

“We c-can chill here, we were dancing and I w-was tired so. I got back on the couch and fell asleep, now I’m h-here.” Jeremy says, then frowns a bit.

“Are you ok?” Sebastian asks, sitting down again. 

“I uh. I f-found my mom.” Jeremy tells them, hugging his knees. “She wants me to g-go see her, but. I don’t think I c-can. I can’t s-see her again.”

“Jeremy.” Sebastian grabs Jeremy’s hands, causing the boy to flinch. Sebastian pulls back quickly, sighing. “It’s up to you if you want to see her or not. It’s your decision.”

Jeremy nods, biting his lip.

“You really are better.” Jeremy says quietly, and Sebastian gives a small smile. 

“Just, talk to Michael about this. He’s your boyfriend, he deserves to know this.”

Jeremy nods again, then stands up. He holds out his hand, letting Sebastian grab it this time. He pulls them up, and they stare at each other. Jeremy hugs Sebastian.

“I’m sorry you had a s-shitty father.”

“I’m sorry you had a shitty mother.”

They both stay in that hug for a while, embracing each other. Sebastian rubs circles onto Jeremy’s back, then pulls away. 

“I hope to see you again Sebastian.” Jeremy said as he touches Sebastian’s forehead. “And I’ll keep your advice in mind.”

“Goodbye, Jeremy Heere.”

“Not yet, we’ll meet again. And when we do.” Jeremy smirks at them. “I’m gonna fight you and I’m gonna win.”

“I’ve been wanting a rematch with Michael, but that’d be interesting too.” Sebastian smirks at him. Jeremy taps their forehead, and Sebastian falls backward. They sink into the water, closing their eyes. They open them to find themself back in their room, staring at the wall. They sit up, then sighs. They then start laughing, falling back onto their bed. They laugh, feeling a light feeling in their chest. Happiness. Something they hadn’t felt in a while.

 

Seven months after the fight, Michael and Jeremy are driving on a highway. Jeremy finds himself playing with his tie.

“We can still go home, you don’t have to do this Jer.” Michael says, glancing at Jeremy. Jeremy doesn’t say anything, staring forward. They drive for another ten minutes before Michael parks it, looking at the building. They look at each other, Jeremy leaning over to Michael and placing a small kiss on his lips. Michael cups Jeremy’s cheeks, leaning into the kiss also. They pull away, looking into each other’s eyes. They get out of the car, walking over to the main entrance. They open the door and walk in. 

“Can I do it on my own?” Jeremy asks without stuttering. Michael looks at him.

“Are you sure you can handle that?” Michael asks, giving the guy behind the glass his ID. Jeremy does the same. 

“Yeah, I can.” Jeremy says softly, looking up at Michael. Jeremy gets the sticker to put on his chest, walking over to the other guard waiting at the end of the room. Michael kisses the top of his head.

“I’ll be here waiting, be safe.” Michael said, sitting in one of the chairs. Jeremy follows the guard through the door, hearing people shouting and talking. He stares down at the floor, not making eye contact with anyone. He regrets not bringing Michael along, he regrets telling him to wait. The guard opens the door to an empty room with a few tables. He sits down at a table near a window, looking outside. It was sunny outside today, which he was thankful for. He fixes his tie again, tapping his foot. 

The door opens, but he doesn’t turn to see who it is. He knows who it is, he just doesn’t want to turn yet. Not yet. He closes his eyes, hoping he can maybe sink into his abyss before he has to do this. 

“Joana.”

He flinches at the name, but turns anyway. He faces a woman who looked like him, with long hair tied up in a ponytail. Her caramel hair looking bright in the sunlight. Jeremy could feel the tears come up, but he takes a deep breath.

“Hey mom.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You finished this story! Yay! This is the first story I've ever finished, and I can't wait till I write another one. This isn't really the end, I do plan on writing a sequel, but that probably won't be for a while, since the holidays are coming up and I'm in the musical soooo. It's gonna be a while but it's gonna be worth it, hopefully. Anyway, see you later, and hopefully I write mini stories to lead up to Story #2. Have a good day/good night. Have a happy holiday. And if you have questions, and/or want to yell at me, my Tumblr is littlebigtec12 .
> 
> See ya! Tec out.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey you finished chapter 1, which means you found it interesting I guess. I have chapters 2-6 all typed up on a doc, and might just update tomorrow or on thanksgiving. Thank you and leave comments below and tell me what you thought.


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